Philadelphia Falter in Texas & Mahomes Saves Kansas City – Best Moments from NFL Week 12

Week 12 provided an incredible Dallas Cowboys comeback, or was it an epic Eagles collapse?

Postseason Patrick Mahomes arrived to rescue the Kansas City's campaign as the Bears keep to surprise as they extend their winning run.

Did Shedeur Sanders do enough on his first NFL outing to earn the full-time role in Cleveland?

Let's take a look at the pick of the action in the NFL.

The Breakdown – Dallas Rally or Eagles Collapse?

The Cowboys were trailing badly at 21-0 down versus the reigning Super Bowl champions, so how on earth did they produce their equal-largest recovery ever?

The emotions of a initial home fixture after a teammate’s tragic death may have played a part, but technically it was a mixture of Prescott’s determination and a defence that pounced on uncommon errors by the Eagles.

Prescott surpassed Tony Romo marks for passing yards (now 34,378) and clutch possessions (twenty-five) with an all-action display – his plunging touchdown personifying his energetic display.

Philly wasted a lead of 21 points or more for the first time since 1999, with just their second game with several giveaways this season – the previous being another disappointing NFC East defeat at the Giants.

Along with fourteen infractions for ninety-six yards, the attacking malaise that hit Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an explosive beginning was huge. He had only thrown for over two hundred yards in four games before the weekend, he had more than one hundred fifty in the first half alone in Dallas.

Yet from the time the Eagles went 21-0 up their offense derailed dramatically – with four straight kicks, a missed three-point attempt and then a fumble handing chance after opportunity to the Dallas.

Philadelphia’s defense is brilliant, it truly is, but an offense that's not eclipsed twenty-one points in five of 7 games (three losses) is now a huge concern, as the pieces are all there but it's simply not clicking.

Sirianni’s approach is all about winning the key moments, the defense keeps them in it and what offence there is manages barely sufficient – if it can't even do that and now the discipline and ball protection is breaking down, there may be problems ahead.

In Focus – Playoff Patrick Appears Prematurely to Rescue Kansas City

It wasn’t quite as extreme, but the Chiefs’ 11-point recovery in the fourth quarter versus a strong Colts team was hugely notable – and could have just rescued their season.

How significant was it? Indeed, the league’s advanced analytics now give the Chiefs a 58% chance of making the postseason, whereas a loss on Sunday would have reduced that figure to twenty-eight percent.

It’s no surprise the playoff form of Mahomes turned up, throwing for 235 yards in the latter half alone and guiding 3 scoring drives in their last 4 series to seal it in extra time.

A few huge throws and swashbuckling runs are typical for Mahomes in the postseason, but right now the Kansas City are in post-season mode – at six and five and only tenth in the conference standings.

This was more like the old Kansas City though, with a first one-score win of the year after dropping five already – they secured eleven of them last year so, if that confidence comes back, this Chiefs Kingdom might not be finished so soon.

Talking Point – Can Bears Become Rulers of the Division?

You just can't overlook the Chicago Bears now. A win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, without Aaron Rodgers, maintained them first of the division and at 8-3 – 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 overall takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a young player now used to securing tight games.

He can still be inconsistent, giving away a touchdown after a fumble in his team’s end zone – but he also passed for three touchdowns and, with already five fourth-quarter rallies this year, he knows how to get the job done.

Green Bay are in close pursuit in the NFC North after overpowering 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 consistent with 8 victories in 9, but as they travel to the championship winners on Thanksgiving we'll see exactly how strong they really are.

Look Ahead – Thrilling Thanksgiving in Prospect

This looks among the best Thanksgiving schedules for years, with every game packed with playoff implications.

Detroit welcome the Packers in the classic opener in Detroit, before a rare trip back to Texas for the Chiefs, who began life as the Dallas Texans long ago in the sixties before moving to Kansas City.

Sunday's rally teams are each clinging to postseason hopes but have very little margin for mistakes – so this will have a post-season feel.

What about the Ravens? An unattractive win over the New York actually has them top of the AFC North after starting 1-5 and appearing dead and buried.

Holiday and Shopping Day Fixtures (all times GMT)

  • Thursday, twenty-seven November: Packers @ Detroit Lions (6:00 PM)
  • Thursday, twenty-seven November: Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys (9:30 PM)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (01:20)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (20:00)

Can Sanders Keep His Job?

Cleveland Browns head coach Stefanski dismissed questions on whether Shedeur Sanders had done sufficiently in his first NFL start to maintain the starting job when Dillon Gabriel returns.

Yet the question will continue to be asked as Shedeur became the first Browns signal-caller to secure his debut league start since Zeier in 1999 – with 17 additional first-year signal callers unsuccessful to do so since.

It came only the Raiders, and with the assistance of an nearly feral Cleveland defense getting 10 tackles, but the Browns’ offence needs a director, a figurehead to inspire confidence.

And self-belief is one thing not lacking in Shedeur, who informed a CBS {

Laurie Andrews
Laurie Andrews

A gaming technology specialist with over a decade of experience in casino systems and slot machine development.