Philadelphia Falter in Dallas & Patrick Saves Chiefs – Best Moments from NFL Week 12
Week 12 delivered an incredible Dallas Cowboys rally, or perhaps an massive Eagles implosion?
Playoff Mahomes showed up to rescue the Kansas City's campaign while the Bears continue to impress as they continue their victorious run.
And did Sanders do sufficiently on his first NFL outing to secure the starting role in Ohio?
Let's take a look at the best of the week in the NFL.
The Breakdown – Cowboys Comeback or Eagles Collapse?
Dallas found themselves down and out at twenty-one to zero behind against the defending championship winners, so how on earth did they engineer their joint-best recovery in history?
Sentiment of a first home fixture since Marshawn Kneeland tragic death may have been a factor, however it was a mixture of Prescott’s resolve and a defensive unit that cashed in on rare mistakes by the Eagles.
Dak eclipsed Romo’s marks for yards thrown (now 34,378) and game-winning possessions (25) with an all-action performance – his plunging score embodying his energetic display.
Philadelphia squandered a lead of 21 points or more for the first time since 1999, with just their second game with multiple turnovers this season – the previous being a bad NFC East defeat at the New York.
In addition to fourteen infractions for 96 yards, the attacking struggles that hit Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an explosive beginning was significant. He'd only passed for over two hundred yards in 4 games before the weekend, he had more than one hundred fifty in the opening two quarters alone in Texas.
Yet from the time Philadelphia went twenty-one to zero up their offense fell apart spectacularly – with four consecutive kicks, a missed three-point attempt and then a fumble handing opportunity after chance to the Cowboys.
Philadelphia’s defence is excellent, it really is, but an offense that's not surpassed 21 points in 5 of seven games (three losses) is now a major worry, as the pieces are all there but it's just not working.
Sirianni’s approach is all about securing the big situations, the defense keeps them in it and what offense there is does barely sufficient – if it can't even do that and now the discipline and ball protection is failing, there may be trouble ahead.
Spotlight – Playoff Patrick Shows Up Early to Save Kansas City
It wasn't as dramatic, but the Chiefs’ eleven-point recovery in the final period against a powerful Colts team was hugely notable – and may have just saved their campaign.
How significant was it? Indeed, the NFL's advanced analytics now give the Chiefs a fifty-eight percent probability of reaching the playoffs, whereas a defeat on the weekend would have reduced that figure to twenty-eight percent.
No wonder the postseason version of Mahomes arrived, throwing for 235 yards in the second half by itself and leading 3 point-scoring possessions in their last 4 series to win it in extra time.
A few big throws and daring runs are commonplace for Mahomes in the playoffs, but right now the Kansas City are in playoff mode – at 6-5 and only tenth in the conference standings.
This was more like the old Chiefs though, with a first close win of the season after dropping 5 previously – they secured eleven of them the previous season so, if that confidence comes back, this Kansas City faithful may not be finished just yet.
Talking Point – Are Chicago Be Rulers of the Division?
You can no longer overlook the Chicago Bears now. A win over the Steelers, without Aaron Rodgers, kept them first of the division and at 8-3 – sharing the same record as the Eagles.
They appear dangerous on each side of the field, with a defense that leads the league in picks and total takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a emerging player now used to securing tight games.
He may still be shaky, surrendering a score after a fumble in his own end zone – but he also passed for 3 scores and, with already five fourth-quarter rallies this year, he understands how to finish the game.
Green Bay are in hot pursuit in the division after dominating the Vikings and Detroit are right there after beating the Giants in overtime with a monster game from Gibbs.
The Bears are strangely the most consistent with 8 wins in 9, but as they travel to the Super Bowl champs on the holiday we'll see exactly how strong they truly are.
Look Ahead – Thrilling Thanksgiving in Store
It appears one of the most exciting holiday line-ups for a long time, with every game loaded with postseason implications.
Detroit welcome the Green Bay in the classic opener in Michigan, before a unusual visit back to Dallas for the Chiefs, who started out life as the Texans way back in the 1960s before relocating to Kansas City.
The weekend’s comeback kings are each holding on to postseason hopes but have minimal margin for mistakes – so this will have a playoff feel.
What about the Baltimore Ravens? An ugly win over the New York in fact has them leading of the AFC North after starting one and five and looking dead and buried.
Holiday and Shopping Day Fixtures (all times GMT)
- Thursday, 27 November: Packers @ Lions (18:00)
- Thursday, 27 November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys (21:30)
- Friday, 28 November: Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (01:20)
- Friday, 28 November: Chicago Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (20:00)
Will Shedeur Sanders Keep His Starting Role?
Cleveland Browns head coach Stefanski batted away questions on whether Sanders had done sufficiently in his first NFL start to maintain the starting position when Dillon Gabriel returns.
Yet the question will keep being raised as Sanders became the first Cleveland signal-caller to secure his first league start after Eric Zeier in 1999 – with seventeen other first-year quarterbacks failing to do so afterward.
It came only the Raiders, and with the help of an nearly aggressive Browns defence getting ten tackles, but Cleveland's offence requires a director, a presence to build belief.
And self-belief is one thing not lacking in Shedeur, who informed a CBS {