Philadelphia Stumble in Dallas & Mahomes Saves Chiefs – Best Highlights from NFL Week 12
Week 12 delivered an incredible Dallas Cowboys comeback, or perhaps an epic Philadelphia Eagles implosion?
Postseason Patrick Mahomes arrived to rescue the Chiefs' campaign while the Chicago Bears continue to surprise as they continue their winning run.
And did Sanders perform sufficiently on his first NFL start to earn the full-time job in Cleveland?
We’ll examine at the best of the week in the league.
The Breakdown – Cowboys Comeback or Philly Fail?
Dallas were trailing badly at twenty-one to zero down against the defending Super Bowl winners, so how on earth did they produce their equal-largest recovery in history?
The emotions of a initial home fixture after a teammate’s tragic passing could have been a factor, however it was a mixture of Dak Prescott resolve and a defensive unit that pounced on uncommon errors by the Eagles.
Prescott surpassed Romo’s marks for yards thrown (now 34,378) and game-winning possessions (twenty-five) with an dynamic performance – his plunging touchdown embodying his all-action display.
Philly squandered a advantage of twenty-one points or more for the first time since nineteen ninety-nine, with only their second game with several turnovers this season – the other being a bad division loss at the New York.
In addition to fourteen penalties for 96 yards, the attacking struggles that hit Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an explosive beginning was significant. He'd only thrown for 200-plus yards in four games prior to the weekend, he had over 150 in the first half alone in Dallas.
However from the time the Eagles went 21-0 up their offence derailed dramatically – with four straight punts, a missed three-point attempt and then a fumble handing chance after chance to the Cowboys.
The Eagles defence is excellent, it truly is, but an offence that's not eclipsed twenty-one points in five of 7 games (three losses) is now a huge concern, as the pieces are all there but it's just not working.
Sirianni’s game is all about securing the key moments, the defence keeps them in it and what offense there is does just about enough – if it can't even do that and now the discipline and ball protection is breaking down, there could be problems in the future.
Spotlight – Playoff Patrick Shows Up Early to Rescue Chiefs
It wasn't as extreme, but Kansas City's 11-point comeback in the fourth quarter against a powerful Colts squad was hugely impressive – and could have only saved their campaign.
How big was it? Well, the NFL's Next Gen Stats now give the Chiefs a fifty-eight percent chance of reaching the postseason, whereas a defeat on the weekend would have reduced that figure to 28%.
No wonder the postseason form of Patrick Mahomes arrived, passing for two hundred thirty-five yards in the second half by itself and guiding three scoring possessions in their last four possessions to win it in overtime.
Some huge throws and swashbuckling scrambles are commonplace for Mahomes in the postseason, but currently the Kansas City are in post-season mode – at six and five and just 10th in the conference rankings.
That was closer to the former Kansas City though, with a initial one-score win of the season after losing 5 previously – they secured eleven of them last year so, if that confidence comes back, this Kansas City faithful may not be done just yet.
Discussion – Are Chicago Become Rulers of the North?
You can no longer ignore the Bears now. A win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, minus Rodgers, kept them top of the division and at 8-3 – sharing the identical standing as the Eagles.
They appear dangerous on both sides of the field, with a defense that leads the league in picks and overall takeaways and, in Williams, a young quarterback now accustomed to securing tight games.
He may at times be shaky, surrendering a score after a turnover in his team’s end zone – but he also threw three touchdowns and, with already 5 fourth-quarter rallies this season, he understands how to get the job done.
Green Bay are in hot chase in the NFC North after overpowering the Vikings and Detroit are in contention after beating the Giants in overtime with a huge game from Jahmyr Gibbs.
The Bears are strangely the most reliable with 8 victories in 9, but as they travel to the Super Bowl winners on Thanksgiving we'll discover just how good they truly are.
Preview – Thrilling Thanksgiving in Prospect
This looks one of the most exciting holiday schedules for a long time, with each game loaded with playoff implications.
The Lions welcome the Green Bay in the classic opener in Michigan, prior to a unusual trip return to Dallas for the Chiefs, who started out existence as the Texans way back in the 1960s before moving to Missouri.
Sunday's rally kings are each clinging to postseason hopes but have very little room for mistakes – so this will have a post-season atmosphere.
And how about the Baltimore Ravens? An ugly win over the New York actually has them top of the AFC North after starting one and five and looking dead and buried.
Holiday and Black Friday Games (all times GMT)
- Thursday, twenty-seven November: Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions (6:00 PM)
- Thursday, 27 November: Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys (21:30)
- Friday, twenty-eight November: Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (1:20 AM)
- Friday, twenty-eight November: Chicago Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (20:00)
Will Shedeur Sanders Retain His Starting Role?
Cleveland Browns coach Stefanski dismissed questions on whether Sanders had performed enough in his debut NFL start to keep the first-team position when Dillon Gabriel returns.
Yet the issue will keep being asked as Sanders became the first Browns signal-caller to win his debut NFL start after Eric Zeier in nineteen ninety-nine – with seventeen additional first-year quarterbacks unsuccessful to do so since.
It was just the Raiders, and with the assistance of an nearly feral Cleveland defense getting 10 tackles, but Cleveland's offense needs a leader, a figurehead to inspire confidence.
And self-belief is something not missing in Shedeur, who told a CBS {