Philadelphia Stumble in Texas & Patrick Saves Chiefs – Top Moments from National Football League the Twelfth Week

Week 12 provided an incredible Dallas Cowboys comeback, or perhaps an epic Philadelphia Eagles implosion?

Postseason Patrick Mahomes showed up to rescue the Chiefs' season while the Chicago Bears continue to surprise as they continue their victorious streak.

And did Shedeur Sanders do sufficiently on his debut professional outing to secure the full-time job in Ohio?

Let's take a look at the best of the week in the league.

Analysis – Cowboys Comeback or Eagles Collapse?

Dallas found themselves trailing badly at 21-0 down versus the defending championship champions, so how on earth did they engineer their joint-best comeback in history?

The emotions of a initial home game since a teammate’s tragic passing may have played a part, however it was a combination of Dak Prescott determination and a defence that cashed in on rare mistakes by the Philadelphia.

Dak surpassed Romo’s marks for yards thrown (now 34,378) and clutch drives (25) with an dynamic performance – his diving touchdown embodying his energetic showing.

Philadelphia wasted a lead of twenty-one points or more for the first time after nineteen ninety-nine, with just their second game with several turnovers this year – the previous being another bad division defeat at the Giants.

In addition to fourteen penalties for ninety-six yards, the offensive struggles that hit Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an explosive beginning was significant. He'd only thrown 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.

However from the time Philadelphia went twenty-one to zero up their offense derailed dramatically – with four straight kicks, a missed field goal and then a fumble giving chance after chance to the Cowboys.

Philadelphia’s defence is brilliant, it really is, but an offence that's not surpassed twenty-one points in five of seven games (3 losses) is now a huge worry, because the pieces are all there but it's simply not working.

Nick Sirianni game 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 ball protection is breaking down, there could be trouble in the future.

Spotlight – Playoff Patrick Shows Up Prematurely to Save Kansas City

It wasn’t quite as extreme, but the Chiefs’ eleven-point recovery in the final period against a powerful Colts team was hugely impressive – and may have just saved their campaign.

How significant was it? Indeed, the league’s advanced analytics now give the Chiefs a fifty-eight percent probability of making the postseason, when a defeat on Sunday would have reduced that figure to twenty-eight percent.

It’s no surprise the postseason form of Mahomes turned up, passing for two hundred thirty-five yards in the second half alone and leading 3 point-scoring possessions in their last four possessions to win it in overtime.

Some big passes and daring runs are typical for Mahomes in the playoffs, but currently the Kansas City are in playoff form – at 6-5 and only 10th in the conference rankings.

This was more like the former Chiefs though, with a first close win of the year after losing 5 already – they won eleven of them last year so, if that confidence returns, this Chiefs Kingdom might not be done so soon.

Discussion – Can Bears Become Rulers of the Division?

You just can't ignore the Chicago Bears any longer. A victory over the Steelers, minus Rodgers, maintained them top of the division and at eight and three – holding the identical record as the Philadelphia.

They look dangerous on both sides of the ball, with a defense that tops the league in picks and total turnovers and, in Williams, a emerging quarterback now accustomed to securing tight games.

He may still be shaky, giving away a score after a turnover in his own end zone – but he also threw three touchdowns and, with already five fourth-quarter rallies this year, he understands how to get the job done.

Green Bay are in hot pursuit in the NFC North after overpowering the Vikings and the Lions are in contention after overcoming the Giants in extra time with a huge game from Jahmyr Gibbs.

The Bears are interestingly the most reliable with 8 victories in nine, but as they travel to the championship champs on the holiday we'll discover exactly how good they truly are.

Preview – Exciting Thanksgiving in Prospect

It appears among the best Thanksgiving line-ups for a long time, with each game packed with playoff implications.

Detroit welcome the Green Bay in the classic curtain-raiser in Detroit, before a unusual trip return to Dallas for the Kansas City, who began life as the Texans way back in the 1960s before relocating to Missouri.

The weekend’s rally teams are both clinging to playoff hopes but have minimal margin for mistakes – so this will have a playoff atmosphere.

And how about the Ravens? An unattractive win over the Jets in fact has them leading of the division after starting one and five and appearing finished.

Holiday and Black Friday Games (all times GMT)

  • Thursday, 27 November: Green Bay Packers @ Lions (6:00 PM)
  • Thursday, 27 November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Cowboys (9:30 PM)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Cincinnati Bengals @ Ravens (1:20 AM)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Chicago Bears @ Eagles (8:00 PM)

Can Sanders Retain His Job?

Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski batted away questions on whether Sanders had done sufficiently in his debut NFL outing to maintain the first-team job when Dillon Gabriel comes back.

But the question will keep being raised as Shedeur became the first Browns signal-caller to win his debut league game since Eric Zeier in 1999 – with 17 additional rookie signal callers failing to do so since.

It was just the Las Vegas, and with the help of an nearly feral Browns defence recording 10 tackles, but the Browns’ offense requires a director, a presence to build confidence.

And self-belief is something not lacking in Shedeur, who informed a network {

Margaret Guzman
Margaret Guzman

Elara is a tech journalist and business strategist with over a decade of experience covering digital transformation and startup ecosystems across Europe.