Philadelphia Stumble in Texas & Patrick Saves Kansas City – Top Moments from National Football League Week 12
Week 12 provided an incredible Dallas Cowboys comeback, or was it an massive Philadelphia Eagles collapse?
Postseason Patrick Mahomes showed up to rescue the Kansas City's campaign while the Chicago Bears continue to impress while they continue their winning streak.
And did Shedeur Sanders perform enough on his first NFL outing to secure the starting role in Ohio?
Let's take a look at the pick of the week in the league.
The Breakdown – Cowboys Comeback or Philly Fail?
The Cowboys were trailing badly at twenty-one to zero down against the reigning championship winners, how exactly did they engineer their equal-largest recovery ever?
Sentiment of a initial home game since a teammate’s tragic death may have played a part, but technically it was a combination of Dak Prescott resolve and a defensive unit that cashed in on uncommon errors by the Eagles.
Dak surpassed Romo’s marks for yards thrown (now thirty-four thousand three hundred seventy-eight) and clutch drives (25) with an dynamic performance – his diving touchdown personifying his energetic showing.
Philadelphia wasted a lead of 21 points or more for the first time after 1999, with only their second game with several giveaways this year – the previous being a bad NFC East loss at the Giants.
In addition to 14 penalties for 96 yards, the offensive malaise that hit Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an fast start was significant. He had only passed for 200-plus yards in 4 games prior to the weekend, he had more than one hundred fifty in the first half alone in Dallas.
Yet from the time the Eagles went twenty-one to zero up their offense derailed spectacularly – with four consecutive punts, a missed three-point attempt and then a turnover giving chance after chance to the Cowboys.
The Eagles defence is excellent, it truly is, but an offense that's not surpassed 21 points in five of 7 games (3 losses) is now a huge concern, as the components are all there but it's simply not clicking.
Sirianni’s game is all about winning the big situations, the defense maintains them in it and what offense there is does barely enough – if it can't even do that and now the discipline and ball protection is breaking down, there could be problems ahead.
Spotlight – Postseason Mahomes Appears Prematurely to Rescue Chiefs
It wasn’t as extreme, but the Chiefs’ eleven-point comeback in the final period against a strong Indianapolis team was hugely impressive – and could have just saved their season.
How significant was it? Well, the league’s Next Gen Stats now give the Kansas City a fifty-eight percent chance of making the postseason, when a defeat on Sunday would have dropped that figure to 28%.
No wonder the postseason form of Patrick Mahomes arrived, throwing for two hundred thirty-five yards in the latter half alone and guiding 3 point-scoring drives in their final 4 series to win it in overtime.
A few big passes and swashbuckling runs are typical for Mahomes in the playoffs, but right now the Chiefs are in playoff form – at 6-5 and only tenth in the conference standings.
This was closer to the former Kansas City though, with a initial close win of the season after losing 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.
Talking Point – Are Chicago Be Rulers of the Division?
You can no longer overlook the Bears now. A victory over the Steelers, without Rodgers, maintained them top of the NFC North and at eight and three – holding the same record as the Eagles.
They appear dangerous on each side of the ball, with a defence that tops the league in interceptions and overall turnovers and, in Caleb Williams, a young player now accustomed to winning close games.
He may still be inconsistent, giving away a score after a turnover in his own end zone – but he also passed for three scores and, with already five fourth-quarter rallies this year, he understands how to get the job done.
The Green Bay Packers are in hot pursuit in the division after dominating the Vikings and Detroit are in contention after overcoming the New York in extra time with a huge game from Gibbs.
Chicago are strangely the most reliable with eight victories in 9, but as they travel to the Super Bowl winners on Thanksgiving we'll see just how strong they truly are.
Preview – Exciting Thanksgiving in Store
This looks among the most exciting Thanksgiving schedules for years, with every game loaded with postseason implications.
The Lions host the Green Bay in the traditional curtain-raiser in Michigan, prior to a unusual visit return to Texas for the Chiefs, who began existence as the Dallas Texans long ago in the 1960s before moving to Kansas City.
The weekend’s rally kings are each clinging to playoff aspirations but have minimal margin for mistakes – so this will have a playoff feel.
And how about the Ravens? An ugly victory over the New York actually has them top of the AFC North after beginning 1-5 and looking finished.
Thanksgiving and Shopping Day Fixtures (all times GMT)
- Thursday, twenty-seven November: Packers @ Detroit Lions (18:00)
- Thursday, twenty-seven November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Cowboys (21:30)
- Friday, twenty-eight November: Bengals @ Ravens (1:20 AM)
- Friday, twenty-eight November: Chicago Bears @ Eagles (8:00 PM)
Will Shedeur Sanders Retain His Job?
Browns coach Stefanski dismissed inquiries on whether Sanders had performed enough in his first NFL outing to maintain the starting position when Gabriel comes back.
But the issue will keep being raised as Shedeur became the first Browns signal-caller to win his first league game since Zeier in 1999 – with seventeen other first-year signal callers unsuccessful to do so afterward.
It was just the Raiders, and with the help of an nearly aggressive Browns defense getting ten tackles, but the Browns’ offense requires a leader, a presence to build belief.
Moreover self-belief is something not missing in Sanders, who informed a CBS {