Philly Stumble in Dallas & Mahomes Rescues Chiefs – Top Highlights from NFL Week 12
The twelfth week delivered an epic Cowboys comeback, or was it an massive Eagles collapse?
Playoff Patrick Mahomes arrived to rescue the Kansas City's season as the Bears keep to surprise as they continue their winning streak.
Did Shedeur Sanders perform sufficiently on his debut NFL outing to earn the full-time job in Ohio?
We’ll examine at the best of the week in the league.
Analysis – Dallas Rally or Eagles Collapse?
The Cowboys found themselves trailing badly at 21-0 down against the defending championship winners, so how on earth did they engineer their joint-best comeback in history?
The emotions of a initial home fixture since Marshawn Kneeland untimely death could have been a factor, however it was a combination of Dak Prescott determination and a defensive unit that cashed in on rare mistakes by the Philadelphia.
Dak eclipsed Romo’s records for passing yards (now thirty-four thousand three hundred seventy-eight) and clutch drives (twenty-five) with an dynamic performance – his diving touchdown embodying his energetic display.
Philadelphia squandered a advantage of twenty-one points or more for the first time after 1999, with just their second game with multiple giveaways this season – the other being another bad NFC East defeat at the New York.
Along with 14 penalties for 96 yards, the attacking struggles that affected Hurts after what – for him – was an explosive beginning was huge. He had only passed for over two hundred yards in four games before the weekend, he had more than one hundred fifty in the opening two quarters by himself in Dallas.
Yet from the time Philadelphia went twenty-one to zero up their offense fell apart dramatically – with four straight kicks, a failed three-point attempt and then a turnover handing chance after opportunity to the Cowboys.
The Eagles defense is brilliant, it really is, but an offence that's not surpassed 21 points in 5 of 7 games (3 losses) is now a huge concern, because the components are all there but it's just not working.
Sirianni’s approach is all about winning the key situations, the defence maintains them in it and what offence there is manages just about sufficient – if it cannot even do that and now the composure and ball protection is breaking down, there may be problems ahead.
Spotlight – Playoff Patrick Shows Up Early to Save Chiefs
It wasn’t quite as extreme, but the Chiefs’ eleven-point recovery in the final period against a strong Indianapolis team was hugely impressive – and could have just rescued their campaign.
How big was it? Indeed, the league’s advanced analytics now assign the Kansas City a fifty-eight percent chance of making the postseason, whereas a loss on the weekend would have dropped that number to twenty-eight percent.
No wonder the playoff version of Patrick Mahomes arrived, passing for 235 yards in the latter half by itself and leading three point-scoring drives in their last four possessions to seal it in extra time.
A few huge throws and swashbuckling scrambles are typical for Mahomes in the playoffs, but right now the Kansas City are in playoff form – at 6-5 and just 10th in the AFC rankings.
That was more like the former Kansas City though, with a initial close victory of the year after dropping five already – they won 11 of them last year so, if that belief returns, this Chiefs Kingdom might not be finished so soon.
Discussion – Are Chicago Be Kings of the North?
You can no longer overlook the Bears now. A victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, without Rodgers, kept them top of the NFC North and at 8-3 – holding the same standing as the Eagles.
They look threatening on both sides of the field, with a defence that tops the NFL in picks and overall takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a emerging quarterback now used to securing tight games.
He can at times be inconsistent, surrendering a score after a fumble in his team’s goal area – but he additionally passed for 3 scores and, with already 5 final period comebacks this season, he knows how to finish the game.
Green Bay are in hot pursuit in the division after dominating the Minnesota and Detroit are in contention after overcoming the Giants in extra time with a monster game from Jahmyr Gibbs.
Chicago are interestingly the most consistent with eight wins in 9, but as they visit the championship winners on Thanksgiving we'll discover exactly how strong they really are.
Preview – Exciting Thanksgiving in Prospect
This looks one of the most exciting holiday schedules for a long time, with every game packed with playoff implications.
The Lions welcome the Packers in the classic curtain-raiser in Detroit, prior to a unusual visit return to Texas for the Kansas City, who began life as the Dallas Texans long ago in the 1960s before relocating to Missouri.
The weekend’s rally kings are both clinging to playoff aspirations but have minimal room for mistakes – so this will have a post-season atmosphere.
And how about the Baltimore Ravens? An ugly win over the Jets actually has them leading of the division after beginning one and five and appearing finished.
Holiday and Shopping Day Fixtures (all times GMT)
- Thursday, twenty-seven November: Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions (6:00 PM)
- Thursday, 27 November: Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys (21:30)
- Friday, 28 November: Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (01:20)
- Friday, 28 November: Chicago Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (8:00 PM)
Can Sanders Keep His Job?
Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski dismissed inquiries on whether Shedeur Sanders had done enough in his debut professional outing to keep the first-team job when Dillon Gabriel returns.
But the question will keep being raised as Sanders became the first Cleveland signal-caller to secure his first league start since Zeier in 1999 – with 17 other first-year signal callers unsuccessful to do so afterward.
It was just the Raiders, and with the help of an nearly feral Browns defence getting ten sacks, but Cleveland's offense requires a leader, a figurehead to inspire belief.
And self-belief is something not missing in Shedeur, who informed a network {