Philly Stumble in Texas & Patrick Rescues Kansas City – Top Moments from NFL the Twelfth Week
Week 12 provided an epic Dallas Cowboys comeback, or was it an massive Eagles implosion?
Postseason Patrick Mahomes showed up to rescue the Kansas City's season while the Bears continue to surprise as they continue their victorious run.
And did Shedeur Sanders perform enough on his debut professional outing to secure the full-time job in Ohio?
Let's take a look at the pick of the action in the league.
Analysis – Cowboys Comeback or Eagles Collapse?
The Cowboys found themselves trailing badly at twenty-one to zero down against the reigning championship winners, how exactly did they produce their equal-largest comeback ever?
Sentiment of a first home fixture since a teammate’s tragic passing could have been a factor, however it was a combination of Dak Prescott determination and a defensive unit that pounced on uncommon mistakes by the Philadelphia.
Dak surpassed Romo’s records for passing yards (now 34,378) and clutch drives (twenty-five) with an all-action performance – his diving touchdown embodying his energetic showing.
Philly wasted a advantage of twenty-one points or more for the first time since nineteen ninety-nine, with only their second game with several turnovers this year – the other being another disappointing NFC East loss at the New York.
In addition to 14 infractions for ninety-six yards, the offensive struggles that affected Hurts after what – for him – was an fast beginning was huge. He'd only passed for over two hundred yards in four games before Sunday, he had over 150 in the opening two quarters alone in Dallas.
However from the time Philadelphia went 21-0 up their offense fell apart spectacularly – with four consecutive kicks, a missed three-point attempt and then a fumble giving chance after opportunity to the Cowboys.
The Eagles defense is brilliant, it really is, but an offence that's not eclipsed 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 working.
Nick Sirianni approach is all about securing the big moments, the defense maintains them in it and what offence there is does barely sufficient – if it can't even do that and now the composure and possession security is breaking down, there may be trouble in the future.
Spotlight – Playoff Patrick Shows Up Prematurely to Save Chiefs
It wasn’t quite as extreme, but the Chiefs’ eleven-point recovery in the fourth quarter versus a powerful Indianapolis squad was very impressive – and may have only saved their campaign.
How significant was it? Well, the NFL's advanced analytics now assign the Chiefs a fifty-eight percent probability of making the playoffs, when a defeat on Sunday would have dropped that number to 28%.
It’s no surprise the postseason version of Mahomes turned up, throwing for two hundred thirty-five yards in the second half alone and guiding 3 point-scoring drives in their last 4 series to seal it in extra time.
Some huge throws and daring runs are typical for Patrick in the postseason, but currently the Kansas City are in playoff mode – at 6-5 and only tenth in the conference rankings.
That was closer to the old Chiefs however, with a first one-score win of the year after dropping five already – they won eleven of them last year so, if that confidence returns, this Kansas City faithful may not be finished just yet.
Discussion – Are Chicago Become Rulers of the North?
You just can't overlook the Chicago Bears now. A victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, without Aaron Rodgers, kept them top of the division and at eight and three – holding the same record as the Philadelphia.
They appear threatening on each side of the field, with a defense that leads the NFL in picks and total turnovers and, in Caleb Williams, a young quarterback now accustomed to securing tight games.
He may still be shaky, surrendering a touchdown after a turnover in his team’s end zone – but he additionally passed for three scores and, with already five final period comebacks this season, he understands how to finish the game.
Green Bay are in close pursuit in the division after dominating the Minnesota and Detroit are right there after overcoming the Giants in overtime with a huge game from 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 see exactly how good they really are.
Look Ahead – Exciting Thanksgiving in Store
This looks among the best Thanksgiving line-ups for years, with every game packed with playoff implications.
Detroit host the Packers in the classic opener in Detroit, prior to a rare trip back to Texas for the Chiefs, who started out existence as the Dallas Texans long ago in the sixties before moving to Kansas City.
Sunday's comeback kings are both clinging to postseason aspirations but have minimal margin for mistakes – so this will have a playoff feel.
What about the Ravens? An ugly victory over the New York in fact has them top of the division after beginning one and five and looking dead and buried.
Thanksgiving and Shopping Day Fixtures (all times GMT)
- Thursday, twenty-seven November: Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions (18:00)
- Thursday, twenty-seven November: Chiefs @ Cowboys (21:30)
- Friday, twenty-eight November: Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (01:20)
- Friday, 28 November: Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (8:00 PM)
Will Shedeur Sanders Keep His Starting Role?
Browns coach Stefanski batted away inquiries on whether Sanders had done sufficiently in his first professional outing to maintain the first-team position when Gabriel comes back.
But the issue will continue to be raised as Sanders became the first Browns signal-caller to secure his debut league game since Zeier in 1999 – with seventeen other rookie quarterbacks unsuccessful to do so since.
It came only the Las Vegas, and with the assistance of an almost feral Cleveland defence getting 10 sacks, but Cleveland's offense requires a leader, a figurehead to inspire belief.
Moreover self-belief is something not lacking in Sanders, who informed a CBS {