Philly Stumble in Texas & Mahomes Saves Kansas City – Best Moments from NFL Week 12
The twelfth week provided an epic Cowboys rally, or was it an epic Philadelphia Eagles implosion?
Postseason Mahomes arrived to salvage the Chiefs' campaign as the Chicago Bears keep to surprise as they continue their victorious streak.
And did Shedeur Sanders do enough on his first professional start to earn the full-time role in Cleveland?
Let's take a look at the pick of the action in the NFL.
The Breakdown – Cowboys Comeback or Eagles Collapse?
The Cowboys found themselves down and out at 21-0 down against the defending championship champions, how exactly did they engineer their joint-best comeback in history?
Sentiment of a initial home fixture after Marshawn Kneeland untimely death may have been a factor, however it was a mixture of Dak Prescott determination and a defence that pounced on uncommon errors by the Eagles.
Prescott surpassed Tony Romo marks for yards thrown (now 34,378) and clutch drives (25) with an dynamic performance – his diving touchdown embodying his energetic display.
Philadelphia squandered a advantage of 21 points or more for the initial time after nineteen ninety-nine, with only their second game with multiple turnovers this year – the other being a bad division defeat at the New York.
Along with 14 infractions for 96 yards, the attacking malaise that hit Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an explosive start was significant. He'd only thrown for over two hundred yards in 4 games before Sunday, he had more than 150 in the opening two quarters alone in Texas.
Yet from the time the Eagles went 21-0 up their offence fell apart spectacularly – with four straight punts, a failed field goal and then a turnover handing chance after opportunity to the Cowboys.
The Eagles defense is brilliant, it really is, but an offense that's not eclipsed twenty-one points in five of 7 games (3 losses) is now a major worry, as the pieces are all there but it's just not working.
Sirianni’s approach is all about securing the big moments, the defence maintains them in it and what offense there is manages just about sufficient – if it can't even do that and now the composure and possession security is failing, there could be problems ahead.
Spotlight – Postseason Mahomes Shows Up Early to Save Kansas City
It wasn't quite as dramatic, but Kansas City's 11-point recovery in the fourth quarter versus a powerful Indianapolis team was hugely notable – and could have just saved their season.
How big was it? Indeed, the league’s advanced analytics now assign the Kansas City a fifty-eight percent chance of making the playoffs, when a defeat on Sunday would have reduced that number to twenty-eight percent.
It’s no surprise the playoff version of Mahomes turned up, passing for two hundred thirty-five yards in the latter half alone and guiding three scoring possessions in their last 4 series to win it in extra time.
A few big throws and swashbuckling scrambles are commonplace for Patrick in the playoffs, but right now the Chiefs are in playoff mode – at 6-5 and just tenth in the conference standings.
That was closer to the former Chiefs though, with a initial close victory of the season after dropping 5 already – they secured eleven of them last year so, if that confidence comes back, this Kansas City faithful might not be done so soon.
Discussion – Are Chicago Become Rulers of the North?
You can no longer ignore the Bears any longer. A win over the Steelers, without Aaron Rodgers, kept them first of the NFC North and at eight and three – sharing the identical record as the Philadelphia.
They appear threatening on both sides of the field, with a defence that tops the league in picks and total takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a emerging player now used to winning tight games.
He can still be inconsistent, giving away a touchdown after a fumble in his team’s goal area – but he also threw 3 touchdowns and, with already 5 final period comebacks this season, he understands how to finish the game.
The Green Bay Packers are in hot chase in the NFC North after dominating the Vikings and Detroit are in contention after overcoming the Giants in extra time with a huge game from Gibbs.
Chicago are strangely the most reliable with eight victories in 9, but as they visit the Super Bowl winners on the holiday we'll see exactly how good they truly are.
Look Ahead – Thrilling Holiday in Prospect
It appears one of the best Thanksgiving schedules for a long time, with each game loaded with playoff consequences.
The Lions host the Green Bay in the traditional opener in Detroit, before a unusual visit return to Dallas for the Chiefs, who began life as the Texans long ago in the 1960s before moving to Missouri.
Sunday's comeback teams are each holding on to playoff aspirations but have minimal margin for mistakes – so this will have a post-season atmosphere.
What about the Baltimore Ravens? An ugly victory over the New York actually has them leading of the division after beginning 1-5 and appearing dead and buried.
Thanksgiving and Shopping Day Games (all times GMT)
- Thursday, 27 November: Packers @ Detroit Lions (18:00)
- Thursday, twenty-seven November: Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys (9:30 PM)
- Friday, twenty-eight November: Cincinnati Bengals @ Ravens (1:20 AM)
- Friday, 28 November: Bears @ Eagles (20:00)
Can Sanders Keep His Starting Role?
Browns head coach Stefanski batted away questions on whether Shedeur Sanders had done sufficiently in his first professional outing to maintain the first-team job when Gabriel returns.
Yet the issue will keep being raised as Shedeur became the first Cleveland signal-caller to win his debut NFL start since Zeier in nineteen ninety-nine – with 17 additional first-year quarterbacks failing to do so since.
It came just the Raiders, and with the help of an almost aggressive Browns defense getting 10 tackles, but the Browns’ offense needs a leader, a presence to inspire belief.
Moreover self-belief is something not missing in Shedeur, who told a network {