Philly Stumble in Texas & Mahomes Saves Chiefs – Best Highlights from National Football League Week 12

The twelfth week provided an incredible Cowboys comeback, or was it an epic Eagles implosion?

Postseason Mahomes arrived to salvage the Chiefs' season as the Chicago Bears continue to impress while they continue their winning streak.

Did Sanders perform sufficiently on his debut professional outing to earn the full-time role in Ohio?

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

The Breakdown – Dallas Rally or Philly Fail?

The Cowboys were down and out at 21-0 down versus the defending Super Bowl winners, so how on earth did they produce their equal-largest recovery ever?

The emotions of a first home fixture since Marshawn Kneeland tragic passing may have played a part, however it was a mixture of Dak Prescott resolve and a defensive unit that cashed in on rare errors by the Philadelphia.

Dak surpassed Tony Romo marks for passing yards (now thirty-four thousand three hundred seventy-eight) and game-winning drives (twenty-five) with an dynamic display – his plunging score embodying his energetic showing.

Philly squandered a advantage of twenty-one points or more for the initial time since nineteen ninety-nine, with just their second game with multiple giveaways this year – the other being another disappointing division defeat at the New York.

Along with 14 penalties for ninety-six yards, the offensive malaise that affected Hurts after what – for him – was an fast beginning was huge. He had only passed for 200-plus yards in 4 games prior to Sunday, he had more than one hundred fifty in the opening two quarters alone in Dallas.

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

Philadelphia’s defence is excellent, it really is, but an offense that's not surpassed twenty-one points in five of seven games (three losses) is now a major concern, as the pieces are all there but it's just not working.

Nick Sirianni game is all about winning the key situations, the defense maintains them in it and what offence there is manages just about sufficient – if it cannot even do that and now the discipline and possession security is breaking down, there could be problems ahead.

In Focus – Playoff Patrick Shows Up Prematurely to Rescue Chiefs

It wasn’t as dramatic, but the Chiefs’ eleven-point recovery in the fourth quarter versus a strong Indianapolis squad was hugely notable – and may have just saved their season.

How significant was it? Well, the NFL's advanced analytics now assign the Kansas City a fifty-eight percent probability of reaching the postseason, when a defeat on the weekend would have dropped that figure to twenty-eight percent.

It’s no surprise the playoff form of Patrick Mahomes arrived, throwing for two hundred thirty-five yards in the second half alone and leading three scoring possessions in their last four possessions to seal it in extra time.

Some huge passes and daring runs are commonplace for Patrick in the postseason, but currently the Chiefs are in post-season mode – at six and five and just 10th in the conference rankings.

This was more like the former Chiefs however, with a first close win of the year after dropping 5 already – they won eleven of them the previous season so, if that belief returns, this Chiefs Kingdom may not be finished so soon.

Talking Point – Are Chicago Be Rulers of the North?

You can no longer overlook the Bears any longer. A win over the Steelers, minus Rodgers, maintained them top of the division and at eight and three – holding the same standing as the Philadelphia.

They appear threatening on both sides of the ball, with a defense that tops the league in picks and overall takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a emerging quarterback now used to winning tight games.

He may still be inconsistent, surrendering a score after a fumble in his own end zone – but he also passed for 3 touchdowns and, with already 5 final period rallies this year, he knows how to get the job done.

Green Bay are in close chase in the NFC North after overpowering the Vikings and Detroit are right there after overcoming the Giants in overtime with a monster game from Gibbs.

The Bears are strangely the most consistent with 8 wins in 9, but as they travel to the championship winners on the holiday we'll discover just how strong they truly are.

Preview – Exciting Holiday in Store

It appears one of the most exciting holiday line-ups for a long time, with every game packed with playoff implications.

Detroit host the Green Bay in the traditional opener in Michigan, prior to a rare visit return to Dallas for the Chiefs, who began existence as the Dallas Texans long ago in the sixties before moving to Missouri.

Sunday's comeback kings are each clinging to postseason aspirations but have very little margin for mistakes – so this will have a playoff feel.

And how about the Ravens? An ugly victory over the Jets in fact has them top of the AFC North after starting one and five and looking dead and buried.

Holiday and Shopping Day Fixtures (all times GMT)

  • Thursday, twenty-seven November: Packers @ Lions (18:00)
  • Thursday, 27 November: Chiefs @ Cowboys (9:30 PM)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Bengals @ Ravens (01:20)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Bears @ Eagles (20:00)

Can Sanders Retain His Starting Role?

Cleveland Browns head coach Stefanski batted away inquiries on whether Sanders had performed enough in his debut professional outing to maintain the first-team job when Gabriel returns.

But the issue will continue to be asked as Sanders became the first Cleveland signal-caller to secure his debut league game since Zeier in 1999 – with 17 other first-year quarterbacks failing to do so since.

It was just the Raiders, and with the assistance of an nearly feral Cleveland defense getting ten tackles, but Cleveland's offense requires a director, a presence to build confidence.

And self-belief is something not missing in Sanders, who informed a network {

Craig Simmons
Craig Simmons

Elara is a passionate writer and digital storyteller with a background in creative arts and technology.