Philadelphia Stumble in Texas & Patrick Rescues Kansas City – Top Highlights from NFL Week 12

Week 12 provided an incredible Dallas Cowboys comeback, or perhaps an epic Philadelphia Eagles collapse?

Postseason Patrick Mahomes showed up to rescue the Kansas City's season while the Bears continue to surprise while they extend their winning run.

Did Sanders do sufficiently on his first professional outing to earn the full-time role in Cleveland?

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

Analysis – Cowboys Comeback or Eagles Collapse?

Dallas were down and out at twenty-one to zero behind versus the reigning championship champions, so how on earth did they engineer their equal-largest comeback in history?

The emotions of a first home game after a teammate’s tragic passing could have played a part, but technically it was a combination of Prescott’s determination and a defensive unit that cashed in on rare mistakes by the Philadelphia.

Dak eclipsed Tony Romo marks for passing yards (now 34,378) and clutch possessions (twenty-five) with an all-action display – his plunging score personifying his energetic showing.

Philadelphia squandered a lead of 21 points or more for the initial time after 1999, with just their second game with multiple giveaways this season – the other being a disappointing division loss at the New York.

Along with fourteen infractions for 96 yards, the attacking struggles that hit Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an explosive start was huge. He had only passed for over two hundred yards in 4 games prior to the weekend, he had more than one hundred fifty in the opening two quarters alone in Texas.

Yet from the time Philadelphia went twenty-one to zero up their offense fell apart spectacularly – with four consecutive kicks, a missed field goal and then a turnover handing chance after opportunity to the Cowboys.

The Eagles defence is brilliant, it really is, but an offence that's not surpassed twenty-one points in 5 of 7 games (3 losses) is now a huge concern, as the pieces are all there but it's simply not clicking.

Sirianni’s approach is all about securing the big moments, the defense keeps 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 may be trouble ahead.

Spotlight – Postseason Mahomes Shows Up Prematurely to Save Kansas City

It wasn't quite as extreme, but Kansas City's 11-point recovery in the fourth quarter against a strong Colts squad was very notable – and could have just saved their season.

How significant was it? Indeed, the NFL's advanced analytics now give the Chiefs a fifty-eight percent probability of reaching the postseason, whereas a defeat on the weekend would have dropped that number to twenty-eight percent.

It’s no surprise the playoff form of Mahomes arrived, throwing for two hundred thirty-five yards in the second half by itself and leading 3 point-scoring drives in their last 4 possessions to seal it in extra time.

Some huge passes and daring runs are typical for Patrick in the playoffs, but right now the Kansas City are in post-season mode – at 6-5 and only 10th in the conference standings.

This was closer to the old Chiefs though, with a initial one-score win of the season after dropping 5 already – they won eleven of them the previous season so, if that belief returns, this Kansas City faithful may not be done just yet.

Talking Point – Can Bears Be Rulers of the Division?

You just can't overlook the Bears now. A win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, without Rodgers, maintained them first of the division and at 8-3 – holding the identical standing as the Philadelphia.

They appear dangerous on both sides of the field, with a defence that tops the league in picks and overall takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a young quarterback now used to securing tight games.

He may still be shaky, surrendering a touchdown after a fumble in his own end zone – but he also threw 3 touchdowns and, with already five final period rallies this season, he knows how to finish the game.

The Green Bay Packers are in close chase in the NFC North after dominating the Vikings and Detroit are in contention after overcoming the Giants in extra time with a monster game from Jahmyr Gibbs.

The Bears are interestingly the most consistent with 8 victories in 9, but as they travel to the Super Bowl champs on Thanksgiving we'll discover exactly how good they really are.

Preview – Thrilling Thanksgiving in Prospect

This looks among the most exciting holiday schedules for a long time, with each game packed with postseason consequences.

The Lions welcome the Packers in the classic curtain-raiser in Detroit, before a rare visit back to Dallas for the Kansas City, who began life as the Dallas Texans long ago in the sixties before relocating to Missouri.

The weekend’s rally teams are both clinging to playoff hopes but have minimal room for error – so this will have a playoff feel.

What about the Baltimore Ravens? An ugly victory over the New York in fact has them leading of the AFC North after starting 1-5 and appearing dead and buried.

Thanksgiving and Shopping Day Fixtures (all times GMT)

  • Thursday, 27 November: Packers @ Detroit Lions (18:00)
  • Thursday, twenty-seven November: Chiefs @ Cowboys (21:30)
  • Friday, 28 November: Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (1:20 AM)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Chicago Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (20:00)

Will Shedeur Sanders Retain His Job?

Browns coach Stefanski batted away questions on whether Sanders had done sufficiently in his debut NFL outing to keep the first-team position when Dillon Gabriel comes back.

Yet the question will continue to be asked as Sanders became the first Browns quarterback to secure his first NFL start after Eric Zeier in 1999 – with 17 additional first-year quarterbacks failing to do so since.

It came just the Raiders, and with the help of an nearly feral Browns defense getting ten tackles, but the Browns’ offense needs a leader, a figurehead to inspire confidence.

And self-belief is one thing not missing in Sanders, who informed a CBS {

Ana Noble
Ana Noble

A financial strategist with over a decade of experience in wealth management and personal finance coaching.