Philadelphia Stumble in Dallas & Mahomes Saves Chiefs – Best Moments from National Football League the Twelfth Week

The twelfth week provided an incredible Cowboys rally, or was it an epic Eagles collapse?

Playoff Mahomes arrived to salvage the Kansas City's campaign as the Chicago Bears continue to impress as they continue their winning run.

Did Shedeur Sanders do sufficiently on his debut NFL outing to earn the starting job in Ohio?

Let's take a look at the pick of the week in the league.

The Breakdown – Cowboys Comeback or Philly Fail?

The Cowboys were trailing badly at 21-0 behind against the reigning Super Bowl winners, so how on earth did they produce their joint-best comeback in history?

The emotions of a first home game since a teammate’s untimely death may have been a factor, but technically it was a combination of Prescott’s resolve and a defensive unit that cashed in on uncommon mistakes by the Philadelphia.

Prescott surpassed Romo’s records for passing yards (now 34,378) and clutch possessions (25) with an all-action display – his diving touchdown personifying his energetic display.

Philadelphia wasted a lead 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 a bad NFC East loss at the New York.

In addition to fourteen infractions for 96 yards, the offensive struggles that affected Hurts after what – for him – was an explosive beginning was huge. He'd 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 Dallas.

Yet from the time Philadelphia went 21-0 up their offence fell apart spectacularly – with four consecutive punts, a failed field goal and then a turnover handing opportunity after opportunity to the Dallas.

The Eagles defence is brilliant, it really is, but an offence that's not surpassed 21 points in 5 of 7 games (3 losses) is now a huge worry, as the components are all there but it's just not working.

Sirianni’s game is all about winning the big moments, the defence keeps them in it and what offense there is manages barely enough – if it cannot even do that and now the discipline and possession security is failing, there could be trouble ahead.

Spotlight – Playoff Patrick Shows Up Prematurely to Save Kansas City

It wasn’t quite as dramatic, but Kansas City's eleven-point recovery in the fourth quarter against a strong Colts squad was hugely notable – and could have just rescued their campaign.

How significant was it? Well, the league’s advanced analytics now give the Chiefs a fifty-eight percent probability of reaching the postseason, when a loss on Sunday would have dropped that figure to twenty-eight percent.

No wonder the postseason version of Patrick Mahomes turned up, throwing for two hundred thirty-five yards in the latter half by itself and guiding 3 point-scoring drives in their last 4 series to seal it in extra time.

Some big passes and swashbuckling scrambles are typical for Patrick in the playoffs, but currently the Kansas City are in post-season form – at 6-5 and only 10th in the AFC standings.

That was closer to the former Chiefs though, with a first close win of the season after losing five previously – they secured 11 of them last year so, if that confidence returns, this Kansas City faithful might not be finished just yet.

Discussion – Are Chicago Be Kings of the North?

You just can't ignore the Chicago Bears any longer. A win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, minus Aaron Rodgers, maintained them top of the NFC North and at eight and three – holding the same standing as the Eagles.

They look dangerous on both sides of the field, with a defence that leads the NFL in interceptions and overall turnovers and, in Caleb Williams, a emerging quarterback now used to winning close games.

He can at times be shaky, surrendering a score after a turnover in his team’s goal area – but he also passed for 3 touchdowns and, with already 5 fourth-quarter rallies this season, he understands how to finish the game.

Green Bay are in hot chase in the division after dominating the Minnesota and Detroit are in contention after overcoming the New York in overtime with a huge game from 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 discover just how strong they truly are.

Look Ahead – Exciting Holiday in Store

It appears one of the most exciting holiday schedules for years, with every game packed with playoff implications.

Detroit welcome the Green Bay in the classic curtain-raiser in Michigan, prior to a rare visit back to Texas for the Chiefs, who started out life as the Dallas Texans long ago in the sixties before moving to Kansas City.

Sunday's rally teams are each holding on to postseason hopes but have very little room for error – 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 division after beginning one and five and appearing finished.

Holiday and Black Friday Games (all times GMT)

  • Thursday, 27 November: Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions (6:00 PM)
  • Thursday, twenty-seven November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys (9:30 PM)
  • Friday, 28 November: Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (1:20 AM)
  • Friday, 28 November: Chicago Bears @ Eagles (8:00 PM)

Will Shedeur Sanders Keep His Job?

Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski batted away inquiries on whether Shedeur Sanders had performed sufficiently in his first professional start to keep the starting position when Dillon Gabriel returns.

But the issue will continue to be asked as Shedeur became the first Cleveland quarterback to secure his debut NFL game after Eric Zeier in 1999 – with 17 other rookie signal callers failing to do so since.

It was only the Raiders, and with the help of an almost aggressive Browns defense getting ten tackles, but Cleveland's offense needs a leader, a figurehead to inspire confidence.

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

James Simpson
James Simpson

A tech journalist and digital strategist with over a decade of experience covering emerging technologies and their impact on daily life.