Philly Falter in Texas & Patrick Rescues Kansas City – Top Moments from National Football League the Twelfth Week

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

Playoff Patrick Mahomes arrived to rescue the Chiefs' campaign as the Chicago Bears continue to impress while they continue their winning run.

And did Shedeur Sanders do enough on his first NFL start to secure the starting role in Ohio?

Let's take a look at the best of the action in the league.

Analysis – Dallas Rally or Eagles Collapse?

The Cowboys were down and out at twenty-one to zero down against the reigning Super Bowl winners, so how on earth did they engineer their equal-largest recovery ever?

The emotions of a initial home fixture after Marshawn Kneeland untimely passing may have been a factor, however it was a mixture of Prescott’s determination and a defence that cashed in on rare errors by the Philadelphia.

Dak surpassed Tony Romo marks for passing yards (now 34,378) and clutch drives (twenty-five) with an all-action display – his plunging touchdown embodying his all-action display.

Philly wasted a advantage of 21 points or more for the first time since nineteen ninety-nine, with only their second game with several giveaways this year – the other being a bad NFC East defeat at the Giants.

Along with fourteen infractions for ninety-six yards, the offensive malaise that affected Hurts after what – for him – was an explosive start was huge. He'd only thrown for 200-plus yards in 4 games before Sunday, he had over 150 in the opening two quarters by himself in Dallas.

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

Philadelphia’s defense is excellent, it truly is, but an offence that's not eclipsed twenty-one points in 5 of 7 games (three losses) is now a major concern, as the pieces are all there but it's simply not working.

Sirianni’s approach is all about securing the big situations, the defence keeps them in it and what offense there is does just about enough – if it can't even do that and now the discipline and ball protection is breaking down, there could be trouble ahead.

Spotlight – Postseason Mahomes Shows Up Prematurely to Rescue Chiefs

It wasn’t quite as extreme, but Kansas City's 11-point recovery in the final period versus a powerful Indianapolis squad was very impressive – and may have just saved their season.

How big was it? Indeed, the league’s Next Gen Stats now give the Chiefs a fifty-eight percent chance of making the playoffs, whereas a loss on Sunday would have reduced that figure to twenty-eight percent.

It’s no surprise the playoff version of Mahomes turned up, throwing for 235 yards in the latter half alone and leading 3 scoring drives in their last four possessions to seal it in overtime.

Some huge throws and swashbuckling scrambles are commonplace for Mahomes in the playoffs, but currently the Kansas City are in playoff mode – at 6-5 and just tenth in the conference standings.

That was closer to the former Kansas City however, with a first one-score win of the season after losing 5 already – they won eleven of them the previous season so, if that belief comes back, this Kansas City faithful might not be done so soon.

Discussion – Can Bears Be Rulers of the Division?

You just can't overlook the Bears any longer. A win over the Steelers, minus Rodgers, maintained them top of the NFC North and at 8-3 – holding the same record as the Philadelphia.

They appear threatening on both sides of the field, with a defence that leads the NFL in picks and overall takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a young quarterback now accustomed to winning close games.

He may at times be inconsistent, giving away a score after a turnover in his own end zone – but he also threw three touchdowns and, with already five fourth-quarter rallies this season, he understands how to get the job done.

Green Bay are in hot chase in the NFC North after dominating the Minnesota and Detroit are in contention after beating the New York in overtime with a monster game from Gibbs.

Chicago are strangely the most reliable with 8 victories in nine, but as they visit the Super Bowl champs on the holiday we'll see exactly how good they truly are.

Look Ahead – Exciting Thanksgiving in Store

It appears one of the best holiday schedules for years, with each game packed with postseason implications.

Detroit host the Packers in the traditional opener in Detroit, before a rare visit return to Texas for the Chiefs, who started out life as the Dallas Texans long ago in the sixties before relocating to Kansas City.

Sunday's comeback teams are both holding on to postseason hopes but have minimal room for error – so this will have a playoff atmosphere.

And how about the Ravens? An ugly victory over the Jets in fact has them leading of the division after beginning one and five and appearing finished.

Holiday and Black Friday Fixtures (all times GMT)

  • Thursday, twenty-seven November: Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions (18:00)
  • Thursday, 27 November: Chiefs @ Cowboys (21:30)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Cincinnati Bengals @ Ravens (01:20)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Bears @ Eagles (8:00 PM)

Can Sanders Retain His Job?

Browns head coach Stefanski batted away questions on whether Sanders had done enough in his debut professional outing to keep the starting position when Gabriel returns.

Yet the question will continue to be raised as Sanders became the first Browns quarterback to win his first league game after Zeier in nineteen ninety-nine – with seventeen additional rookie quarterbacks unsuccessful to do so since.

It was just the Raiders, and with the help of an nearly feral Browns defense getting 10 sacks, but the Browns’ offence requires a director, a figurehead to inspire belief.

And self-belief is something not missing in Shedeur, who told a network {

Samantha White
Samantha White

Passionate gamer and esports journalist with over a decade of experience covering competitive gaming scenes worldwide.