Philadelphia Stumble in Texas & Mahomes Rescues Kansas City – Top Moments from National Football League Week 12

The twelfth week delivered an incredible Dallas Cowboys comeback, or perhaps an massive Philadelphia Eagles collapse?

Postseason Patrick Mahomes showed up to salvage the Chiefs' campaign while the Bears keep to impress while they extend their victorious run.

And did Sanders perform enough on his debut professional outing to earn the full-time role in Ohio?

We’ll examine at the best of the week in the league.

The Breakdown – Cowboys Comeback or Philly Fail?

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

Sentiment of a initial home fixture after a teammate’s tragic passing could have been a factor, but technically it was a combination of Dak Prescott resolve and a defensive unit that pounced on rare errors by the Philadelphia.

Prescott eclipsed Tony Romo marks for yards thrown (now 34,378) and game-winning possessions (25) with an dynamic display – his diving touchdown embodying his all-action display.

Philly wasted a advantage of twenty-one points or more for the initial time since nineteen ninety-nine, with only their second game with multiple turnovers this season – the previous being a bad division loss at the New York.

In addition to 14 penalties for ninety-six yards, the offensive malaise that affected Hurts after what – for him – was an fast start was huge. He had only thrown for over two hundred yards in four games before the weekend, he had over 150 in the first half by himself in Dallas.

Yet from the time the Eagles went twenty-one to zero up their offence fell apart spectacularly – with four consecutive kicks, a missed field goal and then a fumble handing chance after opportunity to the Dallas.

Philadelphia’s defense is excellent, it really is, but an offence that's not surpassed 21 points in 5 of 7 games (three losses) is now a major worry, as the pieces are all there but it's just not clicking.

Sirianni’s game is all about winning the big situations, the defence maintains them in it and what offense there is manages just about enough – if it cannot even do that and now the composure and ball protection is breaking down, there could be problems in the future.

Spotlight – Postseason Mahomes Appears Prematurely to Save Kansas City

It wasn't quite as dramatic, but Kansas City's 11-point comeback in the fourth quarter against a powerful Colts team was hugely impressive – and may have just saved their season.

How significant was it? Well, the league’s advanced analytics now give the Chiefs a fifty-eight percent probability of reaching the playoffs, when a loss on the weekend would have reduced that figure to twenty-eight percent.

It’s no surprise the playoff version of Mahomes turned up, passing for two hundred thirty-five yards in the latter half by itself and leading 3 point-scoring possessions in their last four series to seal it in extra time.

Some big throws and swashbuckling runs are commonplace for Mahomes in the postseason, but right now the Chiefs are in post-season mode – at six and five and only tenth in the conference rankings.

That was closer to the old Kansas City though, with a first close win of the season after dropping five already – they won 11 of them the previous season so, if that belief returns, this Chiefs Kingdom might not be finished so soon.

Discussion – Can Bears Become Rulers of the Division?

You just can't ignore the Bears now. A win over the Steelers, without Aaron Rodgers, kept them top of the division and at 8-3 – holding the same record as the Philadelphia.

They look dangerous on both sides of the field, with a defense that leads the NFL in interceptions and overall takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a emerging quarterback now accustomed to winning tight games.

He may at times be inconsistent, surrendering a score after a fumble in his team’s end zone – but he also threw 3 scores and, with already five final period rallies this season, he knows how to get the job done.

Green Bay are in hot chase in the division after overpowering the Vikings and Detroit are in contention after overcoming the Giants in extra time with a monster game from Gibbs.

The Bears are strangely the most consistent with 8 wins in nine, but as they travel to the Super Bowl champs on Thanksgiving we'll discover just how strong they truly are.

Preview – Exciting Thanksgiving in Store

This looks among the most exciting holiday line-ups for a long time, with each game packed with postseason consequences.

Detroit host the Green Bay in the classic curtain-raiser in Michigan, before a rare visit return to Dallas for the Kansas City, who started out existence as the Dallas Texans long ago in the sixties before relocating to Kansas City.

Sunday's comeback kings are each clinging to postseason aspirations but have minimal room for error – so this will have a playoff feel.

And how about the Ravens? An unattractive win over the New York in fact has them leading of the AFC North after starting 1-5 and looking finished.

Thanksgiving and Shopping Day Games (all times GMT)

  • Thursday, twenty-seven November: Packers @ Detroit Lions (18:00)
  • Thursday, 27 November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Cowboys (21:30)
  • Friday, 28 November: Cincinnati Bengals @ Ravens (1:20 AM)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (20:00)

Can Sanders Keep His Job?

Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski batted away inquiries on whether Sanders had done enough in his first NFL start to maintain the starting job when Dillon Gabriel comes back.

But the question will keep being asked as Sanders became the first Cleveland quarterback to secure his debut NFL game since Zeier in nineteen ninety-nine – with 17 other rookie quarterbacks unsuccessful to do so since.

It came just the Las Vegas, and with the help of an nearly aggressive Browns defense getting ten tackles, but the Browns’ offence requires a leader, a presence to build belief.

Moreover confidence is something not lacking in Sanders, who told a CBS {

Katie Miles
Katie Miles

A passionate esports journalist and gamer, Lena shares in-depth analysis and tips to help players level up their skills.