Philly Stumble in Dallas & Mahomes Rescues Kansas City – Top Moments from National Football League the Twelfth Week
The twelfth week delivered an epic Dallas Cowboys rally, or was it an epic Philadelphia Eagles implosion?
Playoff Patrick Mahomes arrived to rescue the Chiefs' campaign as the Chicago Bears keep to impress as they extend their winning streak.
And did Sanders do sufficiently on his debut professional outing to secure the starting role in Cleveland?
Let's take a look at the best of the week in the NFL.
Analysis – Cowboys Comeback or Philly Fail?
The Cowboys were down and out at twenty-one to zero down against the defending Super Bowl champions, how exactly did they produce their joint-best recovery ever?
Sentiment of a first home game after Marshawn Kneeland tragic death could have played a part, but technically it was a combination of Prescott’s determination and a defensive unit that pounced on rare errors by the Eagles.
Prescott surpassed Tony Romo marks for yards thrown (now 34,378) and game-winning drives (25) with an dynamic performance – his plunging score embodying his all-action display.
Philadelphia squandered a lead of twenty-one points or more for the initial time after nineteen ninety-nine, with just their second game with several giveaways this year – the previous being another bad NFC East defeat at the Giants.
In addition to 14 penalties for ninety-six yards, the offensive struggles that affected Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an fast beginning was huge. He'd only passed for 200-plus yards in four games prior to the weekend, he had more than one hundred fifty in the opening two quarters by himself in Texas.
Yet from the time the Eagles went 21-0 up their offense fell apart spectacularly – with four straight kicks, a missed field goal and then a fumble handing opportunity after opportunity to the Dallas.
The Eagles defence is excellent, it really is, but an offense that's not eclipsed 21 points in 5 of 7 games (3 losses) is now a huge concern, as the components are all there but it's just not clicking.
Sirianni’s approach is all about securing the key moments, the defence keeps them in it and what offense there is does just about enough – if it cannot even do that and now the composure and possession security is failing, there may be trouble in the future.
In Focus – Playoff Patrick Appears Prematurely to Save Chiefs
It wasn't quite as dramatic, but the Chiefs’ eleven-point recovery in the fourth quarter versus a powerful Indianapolis team was very notable – and could have only saved their season.
How significant was it? Indeed, the NFL's advanced analytics now give the Kansas City a 58% probability of reaching the postseason, whereas a loss on Sunday would have dropped that number to twenty-eight percent.
No wonder the postseason form of Patrick Mahomes arrived, throwing for 235 yards in the second half by itself and leading three point-scoring possessions in their last four possessions to seal it in overtime.
Some huge passes and swashbuckling scrambles are typical for Patrick in the playoffs, but right now the Kansas City are in post-season form – at six and five and just tenth in the conference rankings.
This was more like the former Kansas City however, with a first close win of the season after losing 5 already – they won eleven of them the previous season so, if that belief comes back, this Chiefs Kingdom may not be finished just yet.
Talking Point – Are Chicago Become Kings of the Division?
You can no longer overlook the Bears any longer. A win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, minus Rodgers, maintained them first of the division and at eight and three – holding the identical standing as the Eagles.
They appear dangerous on each side of the field, with a defense that tops the league in interceptions and total turnovers and, in Williams, a young player now accustomed to securing close games.
He can at times be inconsistent, surrendering a score after a turnover in his team’s goal area – but he also passed for 3 touchdowns and, with already 5 final period comebacks this season, he knows how to get the job done.
The Green Bay Packers are in hot pursuit in the division after dominating the Vikings and the Lions are right there after beating the New York in overtime with a monster game from Jahmyr Gibbs.
The Bears are strangely the most reliable with eight victories in 9, but as they visit the Super Bowl winners on Thanksgiving we'll see just how strong they really are.
Preview – Exciting Thanksgiving in Store
This looks among the most exciting Thanksgiving line-ups for a long time, with every game loaded with playoff consequences.
Detroit welcome the Green Bay in the classic curtain-raiser in Detroit, prior to a rare visit back to Dallas for the Chiefs, who began existence as the Texans way back in the sixties before relocating to Kansas City.
The weekend’s comeback teams are both clinging to playoff hopes but have very little room for error – so this will have a post-season feel.
What about the Baltimore Ravens? An ugly win over the Jets actually has them leading of the division after starting 1-5 and looking dead and buried.
Holiday and Shopping Day Fixtures (all times GMT)
- Thursday, 27 November: Packers @ Lions (18:00)
- Thursday, 27 November: Chiefs @ Cowboys (21:30)
- Friday, twenty-eight November: Cincinnati Bengals @ Ravens (01:20)
- Friday, 28 November: Bears @ Eagles (8:00 PM)
Can Sanders Keep His Starting Role?
Cleveland Browns head coach Stefanski batted away inquiries on whether Shedeur Sanders had performed enough in his first professional start to maintain the starting job when Dillon Gabriel comes back.
But the issue will keep being raised as Shedeur became the first Browns quarterback to win his first league start after Eric Zeier in 1999 – with seventeen other rookie quarterbacks failing to do so since.
It was only the Las Vegas, and with the assistance of an almost feral Cleveland defense recording 10 sacks, but Cleveland's offence needs a leader, a figurehead to build belief.
And self-belief is one thing not lacking in Shedeur, who told a network {