Philadelphia Stumble in Dallas & Mahomes Saves Chiefs – Best Highlights from National Football League Week 12

Week 12 delivered an epic Cowboys rally, or was it an epic Eagles collapse?

Postseason Patrick Mahomes arrived to rescue the Chiefs' campaign while the Chicago Bears keep to surprise as they continue their victorious streak.

Did Shedeur Sanders perform sufficiently on his debut professional start to earn the starting job in Ohio?

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

The Breakdown – Dallas Rally or Philly Fail?

Dallas were down and out at 21-0 behind versus the defending championship winners, how exactly did they engineer their equal-largest comeback ever?

The emotions of a first home fixture after Marshawn Kneeland untimely passing may have played a part, but technically it was a combination of Prescott’s resolve and a defence that pounced on uncommon errors by the Eagles.

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

Philly squandered a advantage of 21 points or more for the first time after 1999, with only their second game with several turnovers this season – the previous being a disappointing NFC East defeat at the New York.

Along with 14 penalties for ninety-six yards, the offensive struggles that affected Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an fast start was huge. He'd only passed for over two hundred yards in 4 games before Sunday, he had more than 150 in the opening two quarters alone in Texas.

However from the time the Eagles went 21-0 up their offense derailed dramatically – with four straight punts, a failed three-point attempt and then a fumble giving chance after opportunity to the Dallas.

Philadelphia’s defense is brilliant, it really is, but an offence that's not eclipsed twenty-one points in five of 7 games (3 losses) is now a major worry, because the pieces are all there but it's just not clicking.

Nick Sirianni approach is all about winning the key moments, the defence keeps them in it and what offence there is does barely enough – if it cannot even do that and now the discipline and possession security is failing, there may be problems in the future.

In Focus – Postseason Mahomes Shows Up Prematurely to Save Kansas City

It wasn’t quite as dramatic, but Kansas City's 11-point recovery in the fourth quarter against a powerful Colts squad was hugely impressive – and may have just saved their season.

How big was it? Indeed, the league’s advanced analytics now assign the Kansas City a 58% probability of reaching the playoffs, whereas a defeat on the weekend would have reduced that number to 28%.

It’s no surprise the playoff form of Patrick Mahomes turned up, passing for 235 yards in the latter half by itself and leading three scoring possessions in their last 4 possessions to win it in extra time.

Some big throws and daring scrambles are commonplace for Mahomes in the postseason, but right now the Chiefs are in playoff form – at six and five and only 10th in the conference standings.

That was closer to the old Chiefs though, with a initial close victory of the season after dropping five already – they secured eleven of them the previous season so, if that confidence returns, this Chiefs Kingdom may not be done so soon.

Discussion – Are Chicago Become Kings of the North?

You can no longer ignore the Bears any longer. A victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, minus Aaron Rodgers, kept them top of the NFC North and at eight and three – sharing the identical standing as the Philadelphia.

They appear dangerous on both sides of the field, with a defence that leads the league in interceptions and overall turnovers and, in Williams, a young quarterback now accustomed to securing close games.

He may still be shaky, giving away a score after a turnover in his team’s goal area – but he also passed for 3 scores and, with already five fourth-quarter rallies this year, he knows how to finish the game.

The Green Bay Packers are in close chase in the NFC North after overpowering the Vikings and Detroit are right there after overcoming the New York in extra time with a huge game from Gibbs.

The Bears are interestingly the most consistent with 8 victories in nine, but as they travel to the Super Bowl winners on the holiday we'll discover exactly how good they really are.

Look Ahead – Exciting Holiday in Store

This looks among the best holiday line-ups for years, with each game packed with playoff implications.

Detroit welcome the Green Bay in the traditional opener in Michigan, prior to a unusual trip back to Texas for the Chiefs, who started out existence as the Texans long ago in the sixties before moving to Kansas City.

Sunday's rally kings are both holding on to postseason aspirations but have minimal margin for error – so this will have a post-season feel.

What about the Ravens? An unattractive victory over the New York actually has them leading of the AFC North after starting one and five and appearing finished.

Thanksgiving and Shopping Day Fixtures (all times GMT)

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

Can Sanders Retain His Job?

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski batted away inquiries on whether Shedeur Sanders had done enough in his first professional outing to keep the first-team position when Gabriel comes back.

But the question will continue to be raised as Sanders became the first Browns signal-caller to win his debut NFL game since Eric Zeier in nineteen ninety-nine – with seventeen other first-year quarterbacks failing to do so afterward.

It was just the Las Vegas, and with the help of an nearly aggressive Cleveland defence getting ten sacks, but the Browns’ offence needs a leader, a presence to build confidence.

And confidence is one thing not missing in Sanders, who told a CBS {

Manuel Marquez
Manuel Marquez

A digital strategist with over a decade of experience in helping organizations leverage technology for innovation and sustainable growth.