Philadelphia Falter in Texas & Patrick Rescues Kansas City – Best Moments from National Football League Week 12

Week 12 delivered an incredible Cowboys rally, or perhaps an epic Eagles collapse?

Postseason Patrick Mahomes showed up to salvage the Kansas City's season while the Bears keep to surprise as they continue their victorious run.

And did Sanders perform enough on his debut professional outing to secure the full-time job in Cleveland?

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

The Breakdown – Cowboys Comeback or Eagles Collapse?

Dallas found themselves down and out at 21-0 down against the defending Super Bowl champions, how exactly did they produce their equal-largest comeback ever?

Sentiment of a initial home fixture since Marshawn Kneeland untimely passing may have been a factor, but technically it was a combination of Dak Prescott resolve and a defence that pounced on uncommon mistakes by the Eagles.

Dak surpassed Romo’s records for yards thrown (now thirty-four thousand three hundred seventy-eight) and game-winning drives (25) with an all-action performance – his diving touchdown personifying his energetic showing.

Philadelphia wasted a advantage of twenty-one points or more for the initial time since 1999, with only their second game with several turnovers this season – the previous being a disappointing division defeat at the Giants.

In addition to 14 penalties for ninety-six yards, the offensive malaise that affected Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an explosive start was significant. He had only thrown for 200-plus yards in 4 games prior to Sunday, he had more than one hundred fifty in the first half by himself in Texas.

Yet from the time Philadelphia went twenty-one to zero up their offence derailed spectacularly – with four straight punts, a missed three-point attempt and then a fumble handing opportunity after opportunity to the Dallas.

Philadelphia’s defence is excellent, it really is, but an offence that's not surpassed 21 points in five of seven games (three losses) is now a huge worry, because the components are all there but it's simply not working.

Nick Sirianni approach is all about winning the big moments, the defense maintains them in it and what offense there is manages barely sufficient – if it can't even do that and now the discipline and ball protection is breaking down, there could be trouble in the future.

Spotlight – Playoff Patrick Appears Prematurely to Save Kansas City

It wasn’t quite as extreme, but the Chiefs’ 11-point comeback in the final period versus a strong Colts team was hugely notable – and could have just saved their season.

How significant was it? Indeed, the NFL's Next Gen Stats now assign the Kansas City a 58% probability of reaching the playoffs, whereas a defeat on the weekend would have reduced that figure to 28%.

It’s no surprise the postseason form of Patrick Mahomes turned up, throwing for 235 yards in the latter half alone and leading three point-scoring drives in their last 4 possessions to seal it in extra time.

A few big passes and swashbuckling scrambles are commonplace for Patrick in the playoffs, but right now the Chiefs are in post-season mode – at six and five and just 10th in the conference standings.

This was more like the old Kansas City though, with a first one-score win of the season after dropping 5 previously – they won 11 of them last year so, if that belief comes back, this Kansas City faithful might not be done so soon.

Discussion – Can Bears Be Rulers of the North?

You just can't overlook the Chicago Bears now. A win over the Steelers, without 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 ball, with a defence that tops the NFL in picks and total takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a young player now used to securing tight games.

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

The Green Bay Packers are in hot pursuit in the division after overpowering the Vikings and Detroit are right there after overcoming the New York in extra time with a monster game from Jahmyr Gibbs.

Chicago are interestingly the most reliable with eight victories in nine, but as they travel to the championship champs on the holiday we'll see exactly how strong they really are.

Look Ahead – Exciting Thanksgiving in Prospect

This looks among the most exciting holiday schedules for years, with every game loaded with playoff implications.

The Lions host the Packers in the traditional opener in Michigan, before a rare visit back to Dallas for the Kansas City, who started out existence as the Texans way back in the sixties before relocating to Missouri.

Sunday's comeback teams are both holding on to playoff aspirations but have minimal margin for mistakes – so this will have a playoff feel.

And how about the Baltimore Ravens? An unattractive win over the Jets actually has them leading of the division after starting one and five and appearing dead and buried.

Holiday and Black Friday Fixtures (all times GMT)

  • Thursday, 27 November: Packers @ Detroit Lions (18:00)
  • Thursday, twenty-seven November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Cowboys (21:30)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (01:20)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Bears @ Eagles (8:00 PM)

Will Shedeur Sanders Keep His Starting Role?

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski batted away inquiries on whether Shedeur Sanders had performed sufficiently in his first professional start to maintain the starting position when Gabriel comes back.

Yet the question will continue to be asked as Shedeur became the first Browns quarterback to secure his debut league game after Eric Zeier in nineteen ninety-nine – with 17 additional rookie signal callers unsuccessful to do so afterward.

It came only the Las Vegas, and with the help of an almost feral Cleveland defence recording ten tackles, but the Browns’ offence requires a leader, a figurehead to inspire belief.

Moreover confidence is one thing not missing in Sanders, who told a network {

Richard Benson
Richard Benson

A travel enthusiast and Las Vegas local who shares expert insights on maximizing your Vegas experience, from hidden gems to top shows.