Philly Falter in Dallas & Mahomes Rescues Chiefs – Top Highlights from NFL the Twelfth Week

Week 12 provided an epic Cowboys rally, or perhaps an epic Eagles implosion?

Postseason Mahomes arrived to salvage the Chiefs' season as the Chicago Bears continue to impress while they extend their winning streak.

And did Shedeur Sanders perform enough on his first professional start to secure the starting role in Cleveland?

We’ll examine at the pick of the action in the NFL.

Analysis – Cowboys Comeback or Eagles Collapse?

The Cowboys found themselves down and out at twenty-one to zero behind against the reigning Super Bowl winners, how exactly did they engineer their equal-largest recovery in history?

Sentiment of a first home game after a teammate’s untimely death could have been a factor, but technically it was a mixture of Prescott’s determination and a defence that cashed in on uncommon errors by the Philadelphia.

Prescott surpassed Romo’s records for yards thrown (now thirty-four thousand three hundred seventy-eight) and clutch drives (twenty-five) with an dynamic performance – his plunging score embodying his all-action display.

Philadelphia wasted a lead of 21 points or more for the initial time since nineteen ninety-nine, with only their second game with multiple turnovers this year – the previous being a disappointing NFC East loss at the New York.

Along with fourteen infractions for 96 yards, the attacking malaise that affected Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an fast start was significant. He'd only thrown for 200-plus yards in 4 games before the weekend, he had over one hundred fifty in the opening two quarters by himself in Texas.

Yet from the time Philadelphia went twenty-one to zero up their offense fell apart dramatically – with four consecutive punts, a missed three-point attempt and then a fumble giving chance after opportunity to the Cowboys.

The Eagles defense is brilliant, it truly is, but an offense that's not eclipsed twenty-one points in 5 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 winning the key moments, the defense keeps them in it and what offence there is does barely sufficient – if it cannot even do that and now the composure and possession security is breaking down, there could be trouble ahead.

In Focus – Playoff Patrick Appears Prematurely to Rescue Chiefs

It wasn’t as extreme, but Kansas City's 11-point recovery in the fourth quarter against a strong Colts team was very impressive – and may have only saved their campaign.

How significant was it? Well, the NFL's advanced analytics now give the Chiefs a fifty-eight percent probability of making the playoffs, whereas a loss on the weekend would have dropped that number to twenty-eight percent.

It’s no surprise the postseason version of Patrick Mahomes turned up, throwing for two hundred thirty-five yards in the latter half by itself and leading 3 scoring drives in their final four possessions to win it in overtime.

Some huge passes and daring runs are commonplace for Mahomes in the postseason, but right now the Chiefs are in post-season mode – at six and five and just 10th in the conference rankings.

This was closer to the former Chiefs however, with a first close win of the year after dropping five already – they won eleven of them the previous season so, if that belief comes back, this Chiefs Kingdom may not be finished just yet.

Discussion – Are Chicago Become Rulers of the Division?

You can no longer ignore the Bears any longer. A victory over the Steelers, minus Aaron Rodgers, maintained them top of the NFC North and at eight and three – sharing the same record as the Philadelphia.

They appear dangerous on both sides of the field, with a defence that leads the NFL in picks and total takeaways and, in Williams, a young player now used to winning close games.

He can still be inconsistent, surrendering a score after a turnover in his team’s end zone – but he also passed for three touchdowns and, with already 5 fourth-quarter comebacks this season, he knows how to finish the game.

Green Bay are in close chase in the division after overpowering the Vikings and the Lions are in contention after beating the New York in extra time with a huge game from Gibbs.

Chicago are interestingly the most consistent with 8 wins in 9, but as they visit the Super Bowl winners on the holiday we'll see just how good they truly are.

Look Ahead – Exciting Thanksgiving in Store

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

Detroit host the Packers in the classic opener in Michigan, prior to a unusual visit back to Dallas for the Kansas City, who started out existence as the Dallas Texans long ago in the 1960s before moving to Kansas City.

Sunday's rally teams are both holding on to postseason aspirations but have very little room for mistakes – so this will have a post-season atmosphere.

What about the Baltimore Ravens? An ugly win over the Jets actually has them top of the division after beginning 1-5 and appearing finished.

Thanksgiving and Shopping Day Games (all times GMT)

  • Thursday, 27 November: Packers @ Lions (6:00 PM)
  • Thursday, twenty-seven November: Chiefs @ Cowboys (9:30 PM)
  • Friday, 28 November: Cincinnati Bengals @ Ravens (01:20)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (20:00)

Will Shedeur Sanders Retain His Job?

Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski batted away questions on whether Shedeur Sanders had done sufficiently in his first NFL outing to keep the first-team job when Gabriel returns.

Yet the issue will continue to be raised as Shedeur became the first Cleveland signal-caller to win his first NFL game since Zeier in 1999 – with seventeen additional first-year quarterbacks failing to do so afterward.

It was only the Raiders, and with the assistance of an nearly feral Browns defence recording ten sacks, but Cleveland's offense requires a director, a presence to inspire confidence.

And confidence is one thing not missing in Sanders, who informed a network {

Deborah Rogers
Deborah Rogers

A productivity coach and writer with over a decade of experience helping professionals optimize their workflows and achieve their goals.