Philadelphia Stumble in Dallas & Patrick Rescues Kansas City – Best Highlights from National Football League Week 12

The twelfth week delivered an epic Dallas Cowboys rally, or was it an epic Eagles implosion?

Playoff Patrick Mahomes arrived to salvage the Chiefs' campaign as the Chicago Bears keep to surprise while they continue their winning run.

And did Sanders do sufficiently on his debut NFL start to earn the full-time job in Ohio?

Let's take a look at the best of the action in the league.

Analysis – Cowboys Comeback or Eagles Collapse?

The Cowboys found themselves trailing badly at twenty-one to zero down versus the defending Super Bowl winners, so how on earth did they engineer their joint-best recovery in history?

The emotions of a initial home fixture since Marshawn Kneeland tragic passing may have been a factor, but technically it was a mixture of Prescott’s resolve and a defensive unit that cashed in on uncommon mistakes by the Eagles.

Dak surpassed Tony Romo records for yards thrown (now thirty-four thousand three hundred seventy-eight) and game-winning possessions (25) with an dynamic display – his diving touchdown personifying his all-action showing.

Philadelphia wasted a advantage of twenty-one points or more for the first time since nineteen ninety-nine, with only their second game with multiple turnovers this season – the previous being a disappointing division defeat at the New York.

In addition to fourteen infractions for 96 yards, the attacking struggles that affected Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an fast beginning was huge. He'd only passed for over two hundred yards in 4 games prior to the weekend, he had over 150 in the opening two quarters alone in Texas.

However from the time the Eagles went 21-0 up their offense derailed spectacularly – with four consecutive punts, a failed three-point attempt and then a fumble giving chance after opportunity to the Cowboys.

Philadelphia’s defense is brilliant, it truly is, but an offense that's not surpassed 21 points in five of seven games (3 losses) is now a major worry, as the components are all there but it's simply not working.

Nick Sirianni approach is all about winning the key situations, the defence keeps them in it and what offence there is does barely enough – if it cannot even do that and now the composure and ball protection is breaking down, there could be problems ahead.

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

It wasn’t quite as extreme, but Kansas City's 11-point comeback in the final period versus a powerful Colts team was hugely impressive – and could have just saved their campaign.

How big was it? Well, the NFL's Next Gen Stats now assign the Chiefs a fifty-eight percent probability of making the postseason, whereas a defeat on Sunday would have dropped that figure to twenty-eight percent.

It’s no surprise the playoff version of Patrick Mahomes arrived, throwing for 235 yards in the second half alone and leading three scoring possessions in their final 4 possessions to seal it in extra time.

Some huge throws and swashbuckling runs are typical for Mahomes in the playoffs, but currently the Chiefs are in post-season mode – at six and five and only 10th in the AFC rankings.

That was more like the former Chiefs though, with a initial one-score victory of the year after dropping 5 previously – they won 11 of them last year so, if that confidence returns, this Chiefs Kingdom may not be done just yet.

Discussion – Are Chicago Be Kings of the Division?

You can no longer overlook the Chicago Bears now. A win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, without Rodgers, kept them first of the NFC North and at 8-3 – sharing the same standing as the Eagles.

They look threatening on both sides of the field, with a defence that leads the league in interceptions and overall turnovers and, in Caleb Williams, a emerging player now used to winning tight games.

He can still be inconsistent, giving away a score after a fumble in his own goal area – but he additionally threw 3 touchdowns and, with already five final period comebacks this year, he knows how to get the job done.

The Green Bay Packers are in hot pursuit in the division after overpowering the Minnesota and Detroit are right there after beating the Giants in extra time with a huge game from Gibbs.

Chicago are strangely the most reliable with 8 victories in nine, but as they visit the championship champs on the holiday we'll see just how good they really are.

Preview – Thrilling Thanksgiving in Prospect

It appears among the best Thanksgiving line-ups for years, with each game loaded with postseason consequences.

The Lions host the Packers in the classic opener in Detroit, before a rare trip back to Dallas for the Chiefs, who began existence as the Dallas Texans long ago in the sixties before relocating to Kansas City.

The weekend’s comeback kings are each holding on to playoff hopes but have very little margin for error – so this will have a playoff feel.

What about the Ravens? An unattractive win over the Jets actually has them leading of the division after beginning one and five and appearing dead and buried.

Holiday and Black Friday Fixtures (all times GMT)

  • Thursday, 27 November: Packers @ Detroit Lions (18:00)
  • Thursday, twenty-seven November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys (21:30)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (1:20 AM)
  • Friday, 28 November: Chicago Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (8:00 PM)

Can Sanders Keep His Job?

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski dismissed inquiries on whether Sanders had performed sufficiently in his first NFL outing to maintain the starting job when Dillon Gabriel returns.

Yet the issue will continue to be raised as Sanders became the first Browns signal-caller to win his first league game after Eric Zeier in 1999 – with 17 additional first-year quarterbacks unsuccessful to do so since.

It came just the Raiders, and with the help of an almost feral Cleveland defense recording ten sacks, but Cleveland's offense requires a leader, a presence to inspire confidence.

And confidence is one thing not missing in Shedeur, who told a network {

Grace Schwartz
Grace Schwartz

Wildlife biologist specializing in sloth behavior and rainforest ecosystems, with over a decade of field research experience.