Philly Stumble in Texas & Mahomes Rescues Kansas City – Top Moments from NFL the Twelfth Week

The twelfth week delivered an epic Cowboys rally, or was it an epic Eagles implosion?

Postseason Mahomes showed up to rescue the Chiefs' season while the Chicago Bears continue to surprise as they continue their winning streak.

And did Sanders do enough on his debut NFL start to earn the starting job in Ohio?

Let's take a look at the best of the week in the NFL.

The Breakdown – Dallas Rally or Philly Fail?

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

Sentiment of a first home fixture after a teammate’s untimely passing could have been a factor, however it was a mixture of Dak Prescott determination and a defensive unit that cashed in on rare mistakes by the Eagles.

Prescott eclipsed Tony Romo records for yards thrown (now 34,378) and game-winning possessions (twenty-five) with an dynamic display – his diving touchdown personifying his all-action showing.

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

In addition to fourteen infractions for ninety-six yards, the attacking malaise that affected Hurts after what – for him – was an fast start was significant. He'd only thrown for 200-plus yards in four games prior to the weekend, he had more than 150 in the opening two quarters by himself in Texas.

However from the time the Eagles went twenty-one to zero up their offense fell apart spectacularly – with four straight kicks, a missed three-point attempt and then a fumble handing chance after opportunity to the Cowboys.

Philadelphia’s defense is excellent, it really is, but an offense that's not eclipsed twenty-one points in five of 7 games (three losses) is now a huge concern, as the pieces are all there but it's simply not working.

Sirianni’s game is all about securing the big moments, the defense maintains them in it and what offense there is manages just about sufficient – if it can't even do that and now the composure and possession security is breaking down, there could be trouble ahead.

Spotlight – Playoff Patrick Shows Up Prematurely to Save Kansas City

It wasn’t as dramatic, but Kansas City's 11-point recovery in the fourth quarter versus a strong Indianapolis team was hugely notable – and could have just saved their campaign.

How significant was it? Indeed, the league’s advanced analytics now give the Chiefs a 58% probability of reaching the playoffs, when a defeat on the weekend would have dropped that number to twenty-eight percent.

No wonder the postseason version of Mahomes arrived, throwing for two hundred thirty-five yards in the second half alone and leading three point-scoring possessions in their last 4 series to seal it in extra time.

Some big throws and daring scrambles are typical for Patrick in the playoffs, but currently the Chiefs are in post-season mode – at 6-5 and only tenth in the AFC rankings.

This was more like the former Chiefs though, with a first close victory of the year after losing 5 previously – they won eleven of them the previous season so, if that belief comes back, this Kansas City faithful might not be done so soon.

Talking Point – Are Chicago Be Rulers of the Division?

You can no longer ignore the Chicago Bears now. A win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, minus Aaron Rodgers, maintained them first of the division and at eight and three – sharing the same record as the Eagles.

They look dangerous on both sides of the field, with a defense that tops the NFL in interceptions and total takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a emerging quarterback now accustomed to securing tight games.

He may still be inconsistent, giving away a touchdown after a turnover in his own goal area – but he additionally threw 3 touchdowns and, with already 5 final period rallies this season, he knows how to finish the game.

Green Bay are in hot pursuit in the NFC North after overpowering the Vikings and Detroit are in contention after overcoming the New York in overtime with a monster game from Jahmyr Gibbs.

The Bears are strangely the most reliable with 8 victories in 9, but as they visit the championship champs on Thanksgiving we'll see exactly how good they truly are.

Preview – Thrilling Thanksgiving in Store

It appears among the best Thanksgiving line-ups for a long time, with every game loaded with playoff implications.

Detroit host the Packers in the classic opener in Michigan, before a rare visit return to Dallas for the Kansas City, who began existence as the Texans way back in the sixties before relocating to Kansas City.

Sunday's comeback kings are each clinging to playoff hopes but have very little room for mistakes – so this will have a post-season feel.

What about the Baltimore Ravens? An unattractive win over the Jets actually has them top of the AFC North after starting one and five and appearing finished.

Thanksgiving and Black Friday Fixtures (all times GMT)

  • Thursday, twenty-seven November: Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions (6:00 PM)
  • Thursday, 27 November: Chiefs @ Cowboys (21:30)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Bengals @ Ravens (01:20)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (8:00 PM)

Will Shedeur Sanders Retain His Starting Role?

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski batted away questions on whether Sanders had done sufficiently in his first NFL outing to keep the starting job when Gabriel comes back.

Yet the issue will keep being raised as Sanders became the first Cleveland signal-caller to secure his first NFL start after Zeier in nineteen ninety-nine – with seventeen additional rookie signal callers failing to do so since.

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

And self-belief is something not lacking in Shedeur, who told a CBS {

Shannon Arellano
Shannon Arellano

Maya Chen is a tech journalist with over a decade of experience covering digital trends and innovations across Europe.