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

Week 12 delivered an incredible Dallas Cowboys comeback, or perhaps an massive Philadelphia Eagles implosion?

Postseason Patrick Mahomes showed up to rescue the Kansas City's campaign while the Chicago Bears continue to surprise as they extend their winning streak.

And did Shedeur Sanders perform enough on his debut NFL start to earn the starting role in Cleveland?

Let's take a look at the pick of the week in the NFL.

Analysis – Dallas Rally or Philly Fail?

The Cowboys found themselves down and out at 21-0 down against the defending Super Bowl champions, how exactly did they produce their equal-largest comeback ever?

The emotions of a initial home fixture since a teammate’s untimely passing could have been a factor, but technically it was a combination of Dak Prescott determination and a defence that cashed in on uncommon mistakes by the Eagles.

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

Philly wasted a advantage of twenty-one points or more for the first time since 1999, with just their second game with multiple turnovers this year – the other being another disappointing NFC East defeat at the New York.

In addition to fourteen infractions for ninety-six yards, the attacking struggles that hit Hurts after what – for him – was an explosive start was significant. He had only passed for over two hundred yards in four games prior to the weekend, he had over 150 in the opening two quarters by himself in Dallas.

Yet from the time Philadelphia went 21-0 up their offence fell apart dramatically – with four consecutive punts, a failed three-point attempt and then a turnover handing opportunity after chance to the Dallas.

Philadelphia’s defense is excellent, it really is, but an offense that's not eclipsed twenty-one points in five of 7 games (3 losses) is now a huge concern, because the pieces are all there but it's just not clicking.

Nick Sirianni approach is all about securing the big moments, the defense maintains them in it and what offense there is manages just about enough – if it cannot even do that and now the composure and possession security is breaking down, there may be problems in the future.

Spotlight – Playoff Patrick Shows Up Prematurely to Save Chiefs

It wasn't as extreme, but the Chiefs’ 11-point recovery in the final period against a strong Colts squad was hugely impressive – and could have just rescued their campaign.

How significant was it? Indeed, the NFL's advanced analytics now give the Chiefs a 58% chance of reaching the postseason, whereas a loss on Sunday would have dropped that figure to 28%.

No wonder the postseason form of Mahomes turned up, throwing for 235 yards in the second half alone and guiding three scoring possessions in their final 4 series to seal it in overtime.

Some big throws and swashbuckling scrambles are commonplace for Patrick in the playoffs, but right now the Kansas City are in playoff form – at six and five and only tenth in the AFC rankings.

This was closer to the old Chiefs however, with a first close win of the season after losing 5 already – they secured 11 of them last year so, if that confidence returns, this Kansas City faithful may not be done just yet.

Discussion – Can Bears Become Rulers of the Division?

You can no longer overlook the Bears now. A win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, without Rodgers, maintained them first of the division and at eight and three – sharing the same standing as the Philadelphia.

They appear threatening on each side of the ball, with a defense that leads the NFL in picks and total takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a young player now used to winning tight games.

He may at times be inconsistent, surrendering a touchdown after a fumble in his team’s goal area – but he also threw 3 scores and, with already five fourth-quarter rallies this year, he knows how to get the job done.

The Green Bay Packers are in hot chase in the division after overpowering the Vikings and Detroit are right there after overcoming the New York in overtime with a huge game from Jahmyr Gibbs.

Chicago are interestingly the most reliable with 8 victories in nine, but as they travel to the Super Bowl winners on Thanksgiving we'll see exactly how strong they truly are.

Look Ahead – Exciting Thanksgiving in Prospect

This looks among the best Thanksgiving line-ups for years, with each game loaded with playoff consequences.

The Lions host the Packers in the classic curtain-raiser in Detroit, prior to a rare visit back to Texas for the Chiefs, who started out existence as the Texans long ago in the sixties before relocating to Kansas City.

The weekend’s rally kings are each clinging to playoff hopes but have very little margin for error – so this will have a post-season atmosphere.

And how about the Ravens? An unattractive win over the Jets in fact has them top of the AFC North after beginning one and five and appearing dead and buried.

Holiday and Shopping Day Fixtures (all times GMT)

  • Thursday, twenty-seven November: Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions (18:00)
  • Thursday, twenty-seven November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys (21:30)
  • Friday, 28 November: Cincinnati Bengals @ Ravens (01:20)
  • Friday, 28 November: Chicago Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (20:00)

Can Sanders Keep His Job?

Cleveland Browns coach Stefanski batted away questions on whether Sanders had done enough in his debut professional outing to maintain the first-team position when Gabriel comes back.

Yet the question will continue to be asked as Sanders became the first Browns quarterback to secure his debut league start since Zeier in 1999 – with seventeen additional rookie signal callers unsuccessful to do so since.

It was only the Raiders, and with the assistance of an nearly feral Cleveland defense getting ten sacks, but the Browns’ offense needs a leader, a presence to build confidence.

Moreover confidence is something not lacking in Shedeur, who informed a network {

Renee Miller
Renee Miller

Lena is a passionate gamer and tech enthusiast, sharing insights and reviews from the world of video games.