Philly Falter in Dallas & Mahomes Rescues Chiefs – Best Highlights from National Football League the Twelfth Week
Week 12 delivered an incredible Cowboys rally, or was it an epic Philadelphia Eagles implosion?
Playoff Mahomes arrived to salvage the Chiefs' campaign as the Bears keep to surprise while they extend their victorious run.
Did Shedeur Sanders perform enough on his debut NFL outing to earn the full-time job in Cleveland?
We’ll examine at the pick of the action in the NFL.
The Breakdown – Cowboys Comeback or Eagles Collapse?
The Cowboys found themselves trailing badly at twenty-one to zero behind against the defending championship winners, so how on earth did they produce their equal-largest comeback in history?
The emotions of a first home game after Marshawn Kneeland untimely death may have been a factor, but technically it was a combination of Prescott’s determination and a defence that cashed in on uncommon mistakes by the Philadelphia.
Dak eclipsed Tony Romo marks for yards thrown (now thirty-four thousand three hundred seventy-eight) and game-winning drives (twenty-five) with an all-action display – his plunging score embodying his all-action display.
Philly wasted a advantage of twenty-one points or more for the initial time since 1999, with only their second game with several turnovers this season – the previous being another disappointing division defeat at the Giants.
In addition to fourteen infractions for ninety-six yards, the offensive struggles that affected Hurts after what – for him – was an fast beginning was huge. He'd only thrown for 200-plus yards in 4 games before the weekend, he had more than 150 in the first half by himself in Texas.
Yet from the time the Eagles went twenty-one to zero up their offense derailed dramatically – with four consecutive kicks, a failed three-point attempt and then a fumble handing chance after chance to the Cowboys.
The Eagles defence is brilliant, it really is, but an offence that's not eclipsed twenty-one points in five of seven games (3 losses) is now a huge worry, because the pieces are all there but it's simply not clicking.
Sirianni’s game is all about winning the big moments, the defence keeps them in it and what offence there is manages just about enough – if it can't even do that and now the composure and possession security is breaking down, there could be problems in the future.
Spotlight – Postseason Mahomes Shows Up Prematurely to Rescue Chiefs
It wasn't quite as extreme, but the Chiefs’ eleven-point comeback in the final period against a powerful Indianapolis squad was very impressive – and could have only saved their season.
How big was it? Indeed, the NFL's advanced analytics now assign the Chiefs a 58% chance of making the postseason, whereas a defeat on Sunday would have dropped that number to 28%.
No wonder the postseason form of Patrick Mahomes turned up, throwing for 235 yards in the latter half by itself and leading 3 point-scoring drives in their last 4 possessions to win it in extra time.
A few big passes and daring scrambles are commonplace for Patrick in the playoffs, but right now the Kansas City are in post-season form – at 6-5 and only tenth in the AFC rankings.
This was closer to the old Chiefs however, with a initial one-score victory of the season after dropping 5 already – they secured 11 of them the previous season so, if that confidence returns, this Chiefs Kingdom might not be finished so soon.
Talking Point – Can Bears Be Kings of the North?
You just can't overlook the Chicago Bears now. A victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, minus Rodgers, maintained them first of the division and at eight and three – holding the same standing as the Philadelphia.
They appear threatening on both sides of the field, with a defense that tops the NFL in picks and total takeaways and, in Williams, a young player now accustomed to winning close games.
He can at times be inconsistent, surrendering a score after a turnover in his team’s goal area – but he also threw three scores and, with already 5 final period comebacks this season, he knows how to get the job done.
The Green Bay Packers are in close pursuit in the NFC North after dominating the Vikings and Detroit are in contention after overcoming the New York in overtime with a monster game from Jahmyr Gibbs.
The Bears are strangely the most reliable with 8 victories in 9, but as they travel to the championship champs on Thanksgiving we'll discover exactly how strong they truly are.
Look Ahead – Exciting Holiday in Prospect
It appears among the most exciting holiday schedules for years, with each game packed with playoff consequences.
Detroit host the Packers in the classic curtain-raiser in Michigan, before a rare trip back to Texas for the Kansas City, who began life as the Texans long ago in the 1960s before relocating to Missouri.
Sunday's comeback teams are both clinging to postseason hopes but have very little margin for error – so this will have a playoff atmosphere.
What about the Baltimore Ravens? An unattractive win over the Jets in fact has them top of the AFC North after starting 1-5 and appearing finished.
Thanksgiving and Black Friday Games (all times GMT)
- Thursday, 27 November: Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions (18:00)
- Thursday, twenty-seven November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Cowboys (21:30)
- Friday, 28 November: Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (1:20 AM)
- Friday, twenty-eight November: Bears @ Eagles (8:00 PM)
Will Shedeur Sanders Retain His Job?
Browns coach Stefanski dismissed questions on whether Shedeur Sanders had done enough in his debut professional outing to maintain the first-team job when Gabriel comes back.
But the question will keep being raised as Shedeur became the first Browns quarterback to win his first league start after Zeier in nineteen ninety-nine – with 17 additional first-year quarterbacks unsuccessful to do so afterward.
It came just the Raiders, and with the assistance of an almost feral Browns defense getting 10 sacks, but the Browns’ offence requires a leader, a presence to build confidence.
Moreover self-belief is one thing not missing in Shedeur, who told a network {