Philly Stumble in Texas & Patrick Rescues Kansas City – Best Moments from NFL the Twelfth Week
Week 12 provided an incredible Cowboys rally, or was it an epic Philadelphia Eagles implosion?
Postseason Mahomes arrived to salvage the Chiefs' campaign while the Chicago Bears continue to impress as they continue their victorious streak.
Did Shedeur Sanders perform enough on his debut professional start to earn the full-time role in Cleveland?
We’ll examine at the pick of the action in the NFL.
Analysis – Cowboys Comeback or Philly Fail?
Dallas found themselves down and out at twenty-one to zero behind against the reigning Super Bowl champions, how exactly did they engineer their equal-largest comeback ever?
The emotions of a first home game after a teammate’s untimely death could have been a factor, however it was a combination of Prescott’s resolve and a defensive unit that cashed in on uncommon errors by the Philadelphia.
Dak eclipsed Tony Romo records for yards thrown (now 34,378) and game-winning drives (25) with an dynamic display – his plunging score embodying his all-action showing.
Philly wasted a lead of 21 points or more for the first time since nineteen ninety-nine, with just their second game with several turnovers this year – the other being another bad division loss at the New York.
In addition to fourteen infractions for ninety-six yards, the offensive malaise that affected Hurts after what – for him – was an explosive beginning was significant. He had only thrown for over two hundred yards in four games prior to Sunday, 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 fell apart dramatically – with four consecutive punts, a missed three-point attempt and then a turnover giving opportunity after chance to the Dallas.
Philadelphia’s defence is brilliant, it really is, but an offense that's not eclipsed 21 points in five of 7 games (three losses) is now a huge concern, as the pieces are all there but it's just not clicking.
Sirianni’s game is all about winning the big situations, the defence maintains them in it and what offense there is does barely sufficient – if it cannot even do that and now the composure and ball protection is breaking down, there could be trouble in the future.
In Focus – Playoff Patrick Shows Up Early to Rescue Kansas City
It wasn't quite as dramatic, but Kansas City's eleven-point comeback 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 NFL's advanced analytics now give the Kansas City a 58% chance of reaching the playoffs, whereas a loss on the weekend would have reduced that number to twenty-eight percent.
It’s no surprise the playoff form of Mahomes turned up, throwing for two hundred thirty-five yards in the second half by itself and guiding three scoring possessions in their final 4 series to seal it in overtime.
A few big passes and daring scrambles are typical for Patrick in the postseason, but right now the Kansas City are in playoff mode – at 6-5 and just tenth in the AFC standings.
That was more like the old Kansas City though, with a initial close victory of the year after losing 5 previously – they secured 11 of them the previous season so, if that confidence returns, this Kansas City faithful might not be finished just yet.
Discussion – Can Bears Be Kings of the North?
You just can't ignore the Bears now. A win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, minus Rodgers, kept them top of the NFC North and at eight and three – sharing the identical record as the Eagles.
They appear threatening on both sides of the field, with a defense that tops the league in picks and overall takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a emerging player now used to winning tight games.
He may at times be inconsistent, surrendering a touchdown after a fumble in his own end zone – but he additionally threw 3 scores and, with already 5 fourth-quarter comebacks this year, he knows how to get the job done.
The Green Bay Packers are in hot chase in the division after dominating the Minnesota and the Lions are in contention after beating the Giants 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 champs on Thanksgiving we'll see exactly how strong they really are.
Look Ahead – Exciting Thanksgiving in Store
This looks among the most exciting Thanksgiving line-ups for a long time, with every game loaded with postseason implications.
Detroit host the Packers in the classic opener in Detroit, before a unusual trip back to Texas for the Chiefs, who started out life as the Dallas Texans way back in the 1960s before moving to Missouri.
Sunday's comeback teams are both holding on to playoff hopes but have minimal room for error – so this will have a playoff feel.
And how about the Baltimore Ravens? An ugly win over the Jets in fact has them top of the AFC North after beginning one and five and appearing finished.
Thanksgiving and Black Friday Fixtures (all times GMT)
- Thursday, 27 November: Packers @ Lions (6:00 PM)
- Thursday, twenty-seven November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Cowboys (21:30)
- Friday, twenty-eight November: Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (01:20)
- Friday, twenty-eight November: Chicago Bears @ Eagles (20:00)
Can Sanders Retain His Job?
Cleveland Browns coach Stefanski batted away questions on whether Sanders had done enough in his first professional start to maintain the first-team position when Gabriel comes back.
Yet the issue will continue to be asked as Shedeur became the first Cleveland quarterback to secure his first NFL start after Eric Zeier in 1999 – with 17 additional rookie signal callers unsuccessful to do so since.
It came just the Las Vegas, and with the assistance of an nearly feral Cleveland defence recording 10 tackles, but Cleveland's offence needs a leader, a figurehead to inspire confidence.
Moreover confidence is something not missing in Shedeur, who told a CBS {