Philly Falter in Texas & Mahomes Saves Chiefs – Best Moments from NFL Week 12
Week 12 provided an incredible Dallas Cowboys comeback, or perhaps an massive Philadelphia Eagles collapse?
Playoff Mahomes showed up to rescue the Kansas City's season while the Chicago Bears keep to surprise as they extend their winning run.
And did Sanders do sufficiently on his debut NFL outing to earn the starting role in Ohio?
We’ll examine at the best of the week in the NFL.
Analysis – Cowboys Comeback or Philly Fail?
Dallas found themselves trailing badly at twenty-one to zero behind against the defending championship champions, so how on earth did they engineer their equal-largest recovery in history?
The emotions of a first home fixture since a teammate’s tragic passing could have played a part, however it was a combination of Prescott’s resolve and a defence that cashed in on uncommon errors by the Philadelphia.
Dak surpassed Romo’s marks for passing yards (now 34,378) and clutch possessions (25) with an all-action display – his plunging score embodying his all-action display.
Philly squandered a advantage of twenty-one points or more for the initial time since 1999, with just their second game with multiple turnovers this season – the other being another bad division loss at the Giants.
Along with fourteen penalties for ninety-six yards, the attacking malaise that hit Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an fast start was huge. He'd only thrown for 200-plus yards in 4 games before the weekend, he had over one hundred fifty in the first half by himself in Texas.
Yet from the time the Eagles went twenty-one to zero up their offence derailed dramatically – with four straight kicks, a missed three-point attempt and then a turnover giving chance after opportunity to the Cowboys.
The Eagles defence is excellent, it really is, but an offence that's not surpassed 21 points in five of seven games (3 losses) is now a major worry, as the pieces are all there but it's simply not working.
Nick Sirianni game is all about winning the key moments, the defence maintains them in it and what offence there is does just about sufficient – if it cannot even do that and now the composure and ball protection is breaking down, there could be trouble in the future.
Spotlight – Playoff Patrick Appears Early to Save Chiefs
It wasn't as dramatic, but Kansas City's 11-point recovery in the final period against a powerful Indianapolis team was hugely notable – and may have only saved their campaign.
How big was it? Well, the league’s Next Gen Stats now give the Chiefs a 58% probability of making the postseason, whereas a defeat on the weekend would have reduced that figure to twenty-eight percent.
No wonder the playoff version of Patrick Mahomes arrived, passing for 235 yards in the second half by itself and guiding 3 scoring drives in their final four possessions to seal it in extra time.
Some huge throws and daring runs are commonplace for Patrick in the playoffs, but currently the Chiefs are in post-season mode – at six and five and only 10th in the conference rankings.
That was closer to the former Kansas City though, with a initial one-score victory of the year after dropping five already – they won 11 of them the previous season so, if that belief returns, this Kansas City faithful might not be finished just yet.
Talking Point – Are Chicago Be Kings of the Division?
You can no longer overlook the Chicago Bears any longer. A win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, minus Rodgers, kept them top of the NFC North and at eight and three – holding the same record as the Eagles.
They look dangerous on each side of the field, with a defence that leads the NFL in picks and total turnovers and, in Williams, a young quarterback now used to securing close games.
He may at times be inconsistent, giving away a touchdown after a fumble in his team’s goal area – but he additionally threw 3 touchdowns and, with already 5 final period comebacks this year, he knows how to get the job done.
Green Bay are in close chase in the division after dominating the Minnesota and the Lions are in contention after beating the New York in extra time with a monster game from Jahmyr Gibbs.
The Bears are strangely the most consistent with 8 victories in 9, but as they visit the championship winners on Thanksgiving we'll see exactly how strong they truly are.
Look Ahead – Exciting Holiday in Prospect
It appears among the most exciting Thanksgiving line-ups for years, with every game packed with postseason implications.
The Lions host the Green Bay in the classic curtain-raiser in Michigan, before a unusual visit back to Texas for the Chiefs, who started out life as the Texans long ago in the sixties before moving to Missouri.
The weekend’s rally kings are both clinging to postseason hopes but have very little room for error – so this will have a post-season atmosphere.
And how about the Baltimore Ravens? An ugly win over the New York actually has them leading of the division after starting one and five and looking finished.
Thanksgiving and Shopping Day Fixtures (all times GMT)
- Thursday, 27 November: Packers @ Lions (18:00)
- Thursday, twenty-seven November: Chiefs @ Cowboys (21:30)
- Friday, twenty-eight November: Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (1:20 AM)
- Friday, 28 November: Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (8:00 PM)
Will Shedeur Sanders Retain His Job?
Browns head coach Stefanski dismissed inquiries on whether Sanders had done enough in his debut professional outing to keep the first-team position when Gabriel returns.
But the question will keep being asked as Sanders became the first Browns quarterback to win his first league start after Eric Zeier in 1999 – with 17 other first-year signal callers unsuccessful to do so afterward.
It was only the Raiders, and with the assistance of an nearly feral Cleveland defense recording 10 sacks, but Cleveland's offense needs a leader, a presence to build belief.
Moreover confidence is one thing not missing in Shedeur, who informed a network {