Philly Stumble in Texas & Patrick Saves Kansas City – Best Moments from National Football League Week 12

The twelfth week provided an incredible Dallas Cowboys comeback, or was it an epic Eagles collapse?

Postseason Patrick Mahomes arrived to rescue the Kansas City's season while the Bears keep to surprise while they continue their victorious streak.

Did Shedeur Sanders perform sufficiently on his debut NFL outing to earn the starting role in Cleveland?

We’ll examine at the pick of the action in the league.

The Breakdown – Cowboys Comeback or Eagles Collapse?

The Cowboys were down and out at twenty-one to zero behind against the defending championship winners, so how on earth did they engineer their equal-largest recovery ever?

The emotions of a first home game since a teammate’s tragic passing may have played a part, however it was a mixture of Dak Prescott determination and a defence that pounced on uncommon mistakes by the Eagles.

Dak surpassed Romo’s marks for yards thrown (now 34,378) and game-winning possessions (25) with an dynamic display – his plunging score embodying his all-action showing.

Philadelphia wasted a lead of 21 points or more for the initial time after 1999, with only their second game with multiple turnovers this year – the other being a disappointing division defeat at the Giants.

In addition to 14 infractions for 96 yards, the attacking struggles that hit Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an fast start was significant. He'd only passed for 200-plus yards in four games before the weekend, he had over one hundred fifty in the opening two quarters alone in Dallas.

However from the time the Eagles went twenty-one to zero up their offence fell apart dramatically – with four straight kicks, a missed three-point attempt and then a turnover handing chance after opportunity to the Cowboys.

Philadelphia’s defence is excellent, it really is, but an offense that's not eclipsed twenty-one points in 5 of seven games (three losses) is now a major worry, as the components are all there but it's simply not clicking.

Sirianni’s approach is all about winning the key moments, the defence maintains them in it and what offence there is does barely sufficient – if it cannot even do that and now the discipline and ball protection is failing, there could be problems in the future.

In Focus – Playoff Patrick Shows Up Prematurely to Save Kansas City

It wasn't quite as extreme, but the Chiefs’ 11-point recovery in the final period against a powerful Colts team was hugely impressive – and may have just rescued their season.

How significant was it? Indeed, the league’s advanced analytics now assign the Kansas City a 58% chance of making the postseason, whereas a defeat on the weekend would have reduced that number to 28%.

No wonder the postseason version of Patrick Mahomes arrived, passing for two hundred thirty-five yards in the second half by itself and guiding 3 point-scoring drives in their final 4 series to seal it in overtime.

Some big passes and daring scrambles are commonplace for Mahomes in the postseason, but currently the Kansas City are in post-season form – at 6-5 and just 10th in the conference rankings.

This was closer to the old Chiefs though, with a first close win of the year after dropping 5 previously – they won 11 of them the previous season so, if that belief comes back, this Chiefs Kingdom might not be done just yet.

Discussion – Can Bears Become Kings of the Division?

You just can't overlook the Chicago Bears now. A win over the Steelers, minus Aaron Rodgers, maintained them top of the NFC North and at eight and three – holding the identical standing as the Philadelphia.

They look dangerous on each side of the field, with a defence that leads the NFL in picks and overall takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a young quarterback now accustomed to securing tight games.

He may at times be inconsistent, surrendering a score after a turnover in his team’s goal area – but he additionally passed for three scores and, with already five final period comebacks this year, he understands how to get the job done.

Green Bay are in close chase in the division after dominating the Minnesota and the Lions are in contention after overcoming the Giants in overtime with a monster game from Gibbs.

The Bears are interestingly the most reliable with 8 wins in nine, but as they visit the championship champs on Thanksgiving we'll see just how strong they truly are.

Look Ahead – Exciting Holiday in Store

This looks one of the best holiday schedules for a long time, with each game loaded with playoff implications.

Detroit welcome the Green Bay in the classic curtain-raiser in Detroit, prior to a rare visit return to Texas for the Chiefs, who started out existence as the Dallas Texans long ago in the 1960s before relocating to Missouri.

The weekend’s comeback kings are each holding on to postseason aspirations but have very little room for mistakes – so this will have a post-season feel.

And how about the Ravens? An ugly victory over the New York actually has them leading of the AFC North after starting 1-5 and appearing finished.

Thanksgiving and Black Friday Games (all times GMT)

  • Thursday, 27 November: Packers @ Lions (18:00)
  • Thursday, 27 November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Cowboys (9:30 PM)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Cincinnati Bengals @ Ravens (1:20 AM)
  • Friday, 28 November: Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (20:00)

Can Sanders Retain His Job?

Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski batted away inquiries on whether Sanders had done sufficiently in his first professional outing to maintain the first-team job when Gabriel comes back.

But the question will continue to be raised as Sanders became the first Browns quarterback to win his debut NFL start since Zeier in 1999 – with 17 additional first-year quarterbacks failing to do so afterward.

It came only the Las Vegas, and with the assistance of an almost aggressive Cleveland defence recording 10 tackles, but the Browns’ offence needs a director, a figurehead to build confidence.

And confidence is one thing not lacking in Sanders, who informed a network {

Aaron Norman
Aaron Norman

Elara is a passionate writer and lifestyle enthusiast, sharing her journey and insights to inspire others in their daily pursuits.