Philadelphia Falter in Texas & Patrick Rescues Kansas City – Best Highlights from NFL Week 12
The twelfth week provided an incredible Dallas Cowboys comeback, or was it an massive Philadelphia Eagles implosion?
Postseason Mahomes showed up to rescue the Kansas City's season while the Chicago Bears continue to impress while they extend their winning run.
Did Shedeur Sanders perform enough on his debut NFL start to secure the full-time role in Ohio?
We’ll examine at the best of the week in the NFL.
Analysis – Cowboys Comeback or Philly Fail?
Dallas found themselves down and out at twenty-one to zero behind against the reigning championship winners, so how on earth did they engineer their joint-best recovery in history?
The emotions of a first home game after Marshawn Kneeland untimely passing could have been a factor, but technically it was a mixture of Dak Prescott determination and a defence that pounced on rare errors by the Philadelphia.
Dak eclipsed Romo’s marks for passing yards (now thirty-four thousand three hundred seventy-eight) and clutch drives (twenty-five) with an all-action performance – his diving score embodying his all-action display.
Philly squandered a lead of 21 points or more for the initial time after 1999, with only their second game with multiple turnovers this year – the previous being another disappointing NFC East defeat at the Giants.
Along with fourteen penalties for 96 yards, the attacking malaise that hit Hurts after what – for him – was an explosive start was significant. He had only passed for 200-plus yards in four games prior to the weekend, he had more than 150 in the first half alone in Dallas.
However from the time the Eagles went twenty-one to zero up their offence fell apart dramatically – with four consecutive punts, a failed field goal and then a fumble handing chance after opportunity to the Cowboys.
Philadelphia’s defence is excellent, it truly is, but an offense that's not surpassed twenty-one points in 5 of 7 games (three losses) is now a major worry, as the pieces are all there but it's simply not clicking.
Nick Sirianni game is all about winning the big situations, the defence keeps them in it and what offense there is does barely sufficient – if it cannot even do that and now the discipline and ball protection is breaking down, there could be trouble ahead.
Spotlight – Playoff Patrick Shows Up Prematurely to Save Chiefs
It wasn’t as extreme, but Kansas City's eleven-point recovery in the final period versus a strong Indianapolis team was hugely impressive – and could have just saved their campaign.
How significant was it? Indeed, the league’s advanced analytics now give the Chiefs a 58% probability of reaching the playoffs, when a loss on Sunday would have dropped that figure to twenty-eight percent.
No wonder the playoff form of Patrick Mahomes arrived, throwing for 235 yards in the second half alone and guiding three point-scoring drives in their final four possessions to seal it in overtime.
A few big throws and daring runs are typical for Patrick in the playoffs, but currently the Chiefs are in post-season mode – at six and five and just 10th in the AFC rankings.
This was more like the old Chiefs though, with a first close victory of the year after losing five already – they won eleven of them last year so, if that confidence returns, this Chiefs Kingdom might not be done so soon.
Talking Point – Are Chicago Become Kings of the North?
You just can't ignore the Chicago Bears any longer. A victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, without Aaron Rodgers, maintained them top of the division and at eight and three – holding the same record as the Eagles.
They look dangerous on each side of the field, with a defense that leads the league in picks and total turnovers and, in Williams, a young player now accustomed to securing close games.
He can still be shaky, surrendering a score after a fumble in his own end zone – but he also passed for three scores and, with already 5 fourth-quarter comebacks this year, he understands how to get the job done.
Green Bay are in hot pursuit in the division after dominating the Vikings and the Lions are in contention after overcoming the New York in overtime with a monster game from Jahmyr Gibbs.
Chicago are strangely the most reliable with 8 victories in nine, but as they travel to the Super Bowl champs on Thanksgiving we'll discover just how good they truly are.
Preview – Thrilling Thanksgiving in Store
This looks one of the best Thanksgiving line-ups for a long time, with every game packed with postseason implications.
Detroit welcome the Packers in the traditional opener in Michigan, prior to a rare visit return to Dallas for the Chiefs, who started out life as the Texans long ago in the 1960s before moving to Missouri.
Sunday's rally teams are each holding on to playoff hopes but have very little room for error – so this will have a playoff atmosphere.
And how about the Ravens? An unattractive win over the Jets actually has them top of the division after starting 1-5 and appearing dead and buried.
Thanksgiving and Black Friday Fixtures (all times GMT)
- Thursday, twenty-seven November: Packers @ Lions (18:00)
- Thursday, twenty-seven November: Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys (21:30)
- Friday, 28 November: Cincinnati Bengals @ Ravens (01:20)
- Friday, twenty-eight November: Chicago Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (8:00 PM)
Can Sanders Keep His Starting Role?
Cleveland Browns head coach Stefanski batted away inquiries on whether Sanders had done sufficiently in his first NFL start to maintain the starting job when Gabriel comes back.
But the issue will keep being asked as Sanders became the first Cleveland signal-caller to win his first NFL game after Eric Zeier in 1999 – with seventeen other first-year quarterbacks unsuccessful to do so afterward.
It was only the Las Vegas, and with the help of an almost aggressive Browns defence getting 10 tackles, but the Browns’ offense needs a leader, a figurehead to build confidence.
Moreover self-belief is something not missing in Sanders, who informed a network {