Philadelphia Stumble in Texas & Mahomes Rescues Kansas City – Top Highlights from National Football League Week 12
The twelfth week delivered an epic Cowboys comeback, or perhaps an epic Eagles implosion?
Postseason Patrick Mahomes arrived to rescue the Chiefs' season as the Chicago Bears keep to impress while they extend their victorious streak.
And did Sanders do enough on his first NFL start to secure the starting job in Cleveland?
Let's take a look at the pick of the week in the league.
Analysis – Cowboys Comeback or Eagles Collapse?
The Cowboys found themselves trailing badly at twenty-one to zero behind against the reigning Super Bowl winners, so how on earth did they engineer their joint-best recovery ever?
The emotions of a first home fixture since a teammate’s tragic passing could have played a part, however it was a mixture of Dak Prescott determination and a defence that pounced on rare mistakes by the Eagles.
Prescott eclipsed Romo’s marks for passing yards (now thirty-four thousand three hundred seventy-eight) and clutch drives (twenty-five) with an dynamic display – his plunging score personifying his energetic showing.
Philly wasted a lead of twenty-one points or more for the initial time after nineteen ninety-nine, with just their second game with multiple giveaways this year – the previous being a disappointing NFC East defeat at the New York.
Along with 14 infractions for ninety-six yards, the attacking malaise that affected Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an explosive start was significant. He'd only passed for over two hundred yards in four games prior to the weekend, he had more than one hundred fifty in the opening two quarters alone in Texas.
However from the time the Eagles went twenty-one to zero up their offence fell apart dramatically – with four consecutive kicks, a missed field goal and then a turnover handing opportunity after opportunity to the Dallas.
The Eagles defence is brilliant, it really is, but an offence that's not eclipsed twenty-one points in five of seven games (three losses) is now a huge worry, because the components are all there but it's just not clicking.
Nick Sirianni approach is all about securing the big situations, the defence maintains them in it and what offence there is manages barely enough – if it can't even do that and now the discipline and possession security is breaking down, there could be problems in the future.
In Focus – Postseason Mahomes Shows Up Prematurely to Rescue Chiefs
It wasn't quite as dramatic, but the Chiefs’ 11-point comeback in the final period versus a powerful Indianapolis squad was very notable – and may have just saved their campaign.
How significant was it? Well, the league’s Next Gen Stats now assign the Chiefs a fifty-eight percent chance of reaching the playoffs, when a loss on the weekend would have dropped that number to 28%.
No wonder the postseason form of Mahomes arrived, throwing for 235 yards in the latter half by itself and guiding 3 scoring possessions in their final four possessions 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 form – at 6-5 and just 10th in the AFC rankings.
This was more like the old Chiefs however, with a first one-score victory of the year after losing five previously – they secured 11 of them the previous season so, if that confidence comes back, this Chiefs Kingdom might not be done so soon.
Discussion – Are Chicago Become Kings of the North?
You can no longer overlook the Bears any longer. A victory over the Steelers, without Aaron Rodgers, maintained them first of the NFC North and at eight and three – sharing the identical standing as the Philadelphia.
They appear threatening on both sides of the field, with a defence that leads the NFL in picks and total takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a young player now used to securing close games.
He may still be shaky, surrendering a score after a turnover in his team’s goal area – but he also passed for three touchdowns and, with already five final period comebacks this season, he knows how to get the job done.
Green Bay are in hot pursuit in the NFC North after overpowering the Vikings and the Lions are right there after overcoming the Giants in extra time with a huge game from Jahmyr Gibbs.
The Bears are interestingly the most consistent with 8 wins in nine, but as they travel to the Super Bowl winners on Thanksgiving we'll discover just how good they truly are.
Preview – Exciting Thanksgiving in Store
It appears one of the most exciting holiday schedules for a long time, with each game loaded with playoff consequences.
The Lions host the Packers in the traditional curtain-raiser in Michigan, before a rare trip return to Dallas for the Kansas City, who started out existence as the Dallas Texans long ago in the sixties before relocating to Missouri.
Sunday's comeback teams are both clinging to postseason hopes but have minimal margin for error – so this will have a post-season atmosphere.
What about the Ravens? An unattractive victory over the Jets in fact has them top of the division after beginning 1-5 and appearing dead and buried.
Holiday and Black Friday Games (all times GMT)
- Thursday, twenty-seven November: Green Bay Packers @ Lions (6:00 PM)
- Thursday, 27 November: Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys (21:30)
- Friday, twenty-eight November: Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (1:20 AM)
- Friday, 28 November: Chicago Bears @ Eagles (20:00)
Will Shedeur Sanders Keep His Job?
Browns coach Stefanski batted away questions on whether Sanders had done enough in his debut NFL outing to maintain the starting position when Dillon Gabriel comes back.
Yet the question will keep being raised as Shedeur became the first Browns signal-caller to secure his debut NFL start since Eric Zeier in 1999 – with 17 additional rookie signal callers failing to do so afterward.
It came just the Las Vegas, and with the help of an almost feral Cleveland defence getting ten sacks, but Cleveland's offence needs a leader, a figurehead to build belief.
Moreover self-belief is something not missing in Sanders, who informed a network {