Philly Stumble in Texas & Mahomes Saves Kansas City – Best Moments from National Football League Week 12
Week 12 provided an epic Cowboys rally, or perhaps an massive Philadelphia Eagles collapse?
Playoff Mahomes arrived to rescue the Chiefs' season while the Chicago Bears keep to surprise while they continue their victorious streak.
And did Shedeur Sanders do enough on his debut professional start to secure the starting job in Ohio?
We’ll examine at the pick of the action in the league.
The Breakdown – Cowboys Comeback or Philly Fail?
The Cowboys found themselves down and out at 21-0 down versus the defending Super Bowl winners, how exactly did they engineer their equal-largest comeback in history?
Sentiment of a initial home fixture since Marshawn Kneeland untimely passing may have played a part, however it was a combination of Dak Prescott resolve and a defensive unit that pounced on rare errors by the Eagles.
Dak eclipsed Tony Romo marks for passing yards (now thirty-four thousand three hundred seventy-eight) and game-winning possessions (25) with an dynamic display – his plunging score personifying his all-action display.
Philly wasted a advantage of twenty-one points or more for the initial time since nineteen ninety-nine, with only their second game with several turnovers this season – the previous being another disappointing NFC East loss at the Giants.
In addition to fourteen penalties for ninety-six yards, the attacking struggles that hit Hurts after what – for him – was an explosive beginning was significant. He had only passed for over two hundred yards in 4 games before the weekend, he had more than one hundred fifty in the first half alone in Dallas.
Yet from the time Philadelphia went 21-0 up their offense derailed dramatically – with four consecutive punts, a missed three-point attempt and then a fumble giving chance after opportunity to the Dallas.
The Eagles defence is excellent, it really is, but an offence that's not surpassed twenty-one points in 5 of seven games (3 losses) is now a huge concern, as the components are all there but it's simply not clicking.
Nick Sirianni approach is all about securing the key moments, the defense maintains them in it and what offense there is manages barely sufficient – if it cannot even do that and now the discipline and ball protection is breaking down, there could be trouble in the future.
Spotlight – Postseason Mahomes Appears Prematurely to Save Kansas City
It wasn’t quite as extreme, but the Chiefs’ eleven-point comeback in the final period versus a powerful Indianapolis team was hugely notable – and may have only rescued their season.
How big was it? Well, the NFL's Next Gen Stats now give the Kansas City a 58% probability of making the postseason, when a loss on Sunday would have dropped that number to 28%.
It’s no surprise the playoff form of Patrick Mahomes turned up, passing for two hundred thirty-five yards in the latter half by itself and guiding three scoring possessions in their last four series to win it in extra time.
A few huge throws and swashbuckling scrambles are typical for Patrick in the playoffs, but currently the Kansas City are in playoff form – at 6-5 and just 10th in the conference rankings.
This was more like the old Kansas City however, with a first close victory of the year after losing 5 previously – they secured eleven of them the previous season so, if that confidence comes back, this Kansas City faithful may not be done just yet.
Talking Point – Can Bears Be Rulers of the North?
You can no longer ignore the Bears any longer. A victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, minus Rodgers, kept them top of the division and at eight and three – holding the same record as the Eagles.
They appear dangerous on each side of the ball, with a defence that tops the NFL in picks and overall turnovers and, in Williams, a young quarterback now used to securing tight games.
He can at times be inconsistent, giving away a score after a fumble in his team’s goal area – but he also threw three scores and, with already five final period rallies this season, he knows how to finish the game.
The Green Bay Packers are in close pursuit in the division after overpowering the Vikings and Detroit are right there after beating the Giants in extra time with a huge game from Jahmyr Gibbs.
Chicago are interestingly the most reliable with eight victories in 9, but as they travel to the championship winners on Thanksgiving we'll see exactly how good they really are.
Preview – Exciting Thanksgiving in Prospect
This looks one of the most exciting Thanksgiving schedules for years, with every game packed with playoff implications.
Detroit host the Green Bay in the traditional curtain-raiser in Detroit, prior to a rare visit return to Texas for the Chiefs, who started out life as the Texans long ago in the 1960s before moving to Kansas City.
Sunday's comeback teams are each holding on to postseason hopes but have minimal room for mistakes – so this will have a post-season feel.
What about the Ravens? An unattractive win over the Jets in fact has them top of the AFC North after starting one and five and looking dead and buried.
Holiday and Black Friday Games (all times GMT)
- Thursday, twenty-seven November: Green Bay Packers @ Lions (18:00)
- Thursday, 27 November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Cowboys (9:30 PM)
- Friday, twenty-eight November: Bengals @ Ravens (01:20)
- Friday, 28 November: Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (8:00 PM)
Will Shedeur Sanders Keep His Job?
Cleveland Browns coach Stefanski batted away inquiries on whether Sanders had performed sufficiently in his first professional outing to maintain the starting position when Gabriel comes back.
But the issue will keep being raised as Sanders became the first Cleveland signal-caller to secure his first league game after Zeier in nineteen ninety-nine – with 17 additional rookie signal callers failing to do so since.
It was only the Raiders, and with the assistance of an almost aggressive Browns defense getting 10 sacks, but Cleveland's offense requires a director, a presence to inspire belief.
And confidence is something not missing in Shedeur, who told a CBS {