Philly Stumble in Texas & Mahomes Rescues Kansas City – Top Moments from NFL Week 12
Week 12 delivered an epic Cowboys comeback, or perhaps an epic Philadelphia Eagles implosion?
Postseason Mahomes showed up to rescue the Chiefs' season as the Bears continue to impress while they extend their winning run.
Did Sanders perform enough on his debut NFL start to earn the starting job in Ohio?
We’ll examine at the pick of the week in the league.
The Breakdown – Cowboys Comeback or Philly Fail?
Dallas found themselves trailing badly at 21-0 down versus the defending championship champions, how exactly did they produce their joint-best comeback in history?
The emotions of a initial home fixture after Marshawn Kneeland tragic passing could have played a part, however it was a mixture of Dak Prescott determination and a defence that cashed in on uncommon errors by the Philadelphia.
Dak eclipsed Romo’s marks for passing yards (now thirty-four thousand three hundred seventy-eight) and clutch possessions (25) with an all-action performance – his diving touchdown personifying his all-action showing.
Philadelphia wasted a advantage of 21 points or more for the initial time after 1999, with only their second game with several turnovers this year – the previous being a bad NFC East defeat at the New York.
In addition to fourteen infractions for ninety-six yards, the attacking struggles that hit Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an fast beginning was huge. He'd only thrown for over two hundred yards in 4 games before Sunday, he had more than 150 in the first half alone in Texas.
However from the time Philadelphia went twenty-one to zero up their offence fell apart spectacularly – with four straight kicks, a missed field goal and then a fumble giving chance after opportunity to the Dallas.
Philadelphia’s defence is excellent, it truly is, but an offense that's not eclipsed 21 points in five of 7 games (three losses) is now a major concern, because the components are all there but it's simply not working.
Sirianni’s game is all about winning the key situations, the defense keeps them in it and what offence there is manages barely enough – if it cannot even do that and now the composure and ball protection is breaking down, there may be trouble ahead.
In Focus – Postseason Mahomes Appears Early to Save Kansas City
It wasn’t quite as extreme, but Kansas City's 11-point recovery in the final period against a powerful Colts team was very notable – and may have just rescued their campaign.
How big was it? Well, the NFL's Next Gen Stats now assign the Chiefs a fifty-eight percent probability of making the postseason, when a defeat on the weekend would have dropped that figure to 28%.
No wonder the postseason form of Patrick Mahomes turned up, throwing for 235 yards in the latter half by itself and leading three point-scoring possessions in their final four possessions to win it in extra time.
Some big passes and daring runs are typical for Patrick in the playoffs, but right now the Kansas City are in playoff mode – at 6-5 and just tenth in the AFC rankings.
That was closer to the former Chiefs however, with a first close win of the season after losing five previously – they won 11 of them the previous season so, if that belief returns, this Kansas City faithful may not be finished just yet.
Talking Point – Are Chicago Be Kings of the Division?
You just can't overlook the Bears now. A win over the Steelers, without Aaron Rodgers, kept them top of the NFC North and at eight and three – holding the same record as the Philadelphia.
They appear threatening on both sides of the field, with a defense that tops the NFL in interceptions and total takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a emerging player now accustomed to securing close games.
He can at times be inconsistent, surrendering a score after a turnover in his own end zone – but he additionally passed for 3 scores and, with already 5 fourth-quarter rallies this year, he understands how to get the job done.
Green Bay are in hot pursuit in the division after dominating the Vikings and Detroit are right there after overcoming the Giants in extra time with a monster game from Jahmyr Gibbs.
The Bears are interestingly the most consistent with eight victories in nine, but as they travel to the championship champs on the holiday we'll see exactly how good they really are.
Look Ahead – Thrilling Holiday in Prospect
It appears one of the best Thanksgiving line-ups for a long time, with every game packed with playoff implications.
The Lions host the Green Bay in the classic curtain-raiser in Detroit, prior to a unusual trip return to Dallas for the Chiefs, who started out existence as the Texans way back in the sixties before relocating to Kansas City.
The weekend’s rally kings are both clinging to playoff aspirations but have minimal margin for error – so this will have a playoff feel.
What about the Ravens? An unattractive win over the New York in fact has them leading of the division after starting one and five and looking finished.
Holiday and Shopping Day Fixtures (all times GMT)
- Thursday, twenty-seven November: Packers @ Detroit Lions (6:00 PM)
- Thursday, twenty-seven November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys (9:30 PM)
- Friday, 28 November: Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (01:20)
- Friday, 28 November: Bears @ Eagles (8:00 PM)
Will Shedeur Sanders Keep His Starting Role?
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski batted away questions on whether Shedeur Sanders had done sufficiently in his first professional start to maintain the starting job when Gabriel comes back.
But the question will keep being raised as Sanders became the first Cleveland quarterback to secure his debut NFL start since Zeier in nineteen ninety-nine – with seventeen additional rookie signal callers unsuccessful to do so afterward.
It was just the Raiders, and with the help of an nearly feral Cleveland defense getting 10 sacks, but the Browns’ offense requires a leader, a figurehead to inspire confidence.
And confidence is one thing not missing in Sanders, who told a network {