Philadelphia Falter in Texas & Mahomes Rescues Kansas City – Top Moments from NFL Week 12
Week 12 delivered an epic Cowboys rally, or perhaps an massive Philadelphia Eagles collapse?
Playoff Mahomes arrived to rescue the Chiefs' season as the Chicago Bears keep to impress as they continue their winning streak.
Did Sanders perform enough on his debut professional start to earn the full-time role in Ohio?
Let's take a look at the best of the action in the league.
Analysis – Cowboys Comeback or Philly Fail?
The Cowboys found themselves down and out at twenty-one to zero behind versus the reigning championship winners, how exactly did they produce their equal-largest comeback in history?
The emotions of a initial home fixture since Marshawn Kneeland untimely death could have played a part, but technically it was a mixture of Prescott’s determination and a defence that pounced on rare errors by the Philadelphia.
Prescott surpassed Tony Romo records for passing yards (now 34,378) and game-winning drives (twenty-five) with an all-action display – his plunging score personifying his energetic showing.
Philly wasted a lead of 21 points or more for the first time after nineteen ninety-nine, with only their second game with multiple turnovers this year – the other being a bad NFC East defeat at the New York.
Along with fourteen penalties for 96 yards, the offensive struggles that hit Hurts after what – for him – was an explosive beginning was significant. He'd only passed for 200-plus yards in four games prior to Sunday, he had more than 150 in the first half alone in Dallas.
Yet from the time the Eagles went 21-0 up their offence derailed spectacularly – with four straight kicks, a failed three-point attempt and then a turnover giving chance after opportunity to the Cowboys.
Philadelphia’s defense is excellent, it truly is, but an offence that's not surpassed twenty-one points in five of seven games (three losses) is now a huge concern, as the components are all there but it's simply not clicking.
Nick Sirianni approach is all about winning the key 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 ball protection is breaking down, there could be trouble in the future.
In Focus – Playoff Patrick Shows Up Prematurely to Save Kansas City
It wasn’t quite as extreme, but Kansas City's 11-point recovery in the final period against a powerful Colts team was hugely notable – and may have only rescued their season.
How big was it? Indeed, the league’s advanced analytics now assign the Kansas City a 58% probability of making the postseason, whereas a loss on the weekend would have dropped that figure to twenty-eight percent.
No wonder the postseason version of Patrick Mahomes arrived, passing for 235 yards in the second half by itself and leading 3 point-scoring drives in their final 4 series to win it in overtime.
Some big throws and daring scrambles are commonplace for Patrick in the playoffs, but right now the Chiefs are in playoff mode – at six and five and just 10th in the AFC standings.
This was closer to the old Kansas City though, with a first one-score victory of the season after losing five already – they won 11 of them last year so, if that belief comes back, this Chiefs Kingdom may not be done so soon.
Discussion – Can Bears Be Rulers of the North?
You just can't ignore the Bears any longer. A victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, minus Rodgers, kept them first of the NFC North and at 8-3 – holding the identical record as the Eagles.
They appear dangerous on both sides of the ball, with a defence that leads the league in interceptions and overall turnovers and, in Williams, a young player now accustomed to securing close games.
He can at times be inconsistent, surrendering a touchdown after a turnover in his team’s goal area – but he additionally threw 3 scores and, with already five final period comebacks this year, he knows how to get the job done.
Green Bay are in close chase in the division after overpowering the Minnesota and the Lions are in contention after overcoming the New York in overtime with a huge game from Gibbs.
Chicago are strangely the most reliable with 8 wins in 9, but as they travel to the Super Bowl winners on the holiday we'll see exactly how good they truly are.
Preview – Thrilling Holiday in Store
This looks one of the best Thanksgiving line-ups for years, with each game loaded with playoff consequences.
The Lions welcome the Green Bay in the traditional opener in Detroit, before a unusual trip back to Texas for the Kansas City, who began life as the Texans long ago in the 1960s before moving to Missouri.
Sunday's rally kings are both clinging to playoff aspirations but have minimal margin for mistakes – so this will have a post-season feel.
And how about the Ravens? An ugly victory over the Jets actually has them leading of the division after starting one and five and appearing dead and buried.
Holiday and Black Friday Games (all times GMT)
- Thursday, twenty-seven November: Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions (6:00 PM)
- Thursday, twenty-seven November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Cowboys (9:30 PM)
- Friday, twenty-eight November: Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (1:20 AM)
- Friday, twenty-eight November: Chicago Bears @ Eagles (8:00 PM)
Can Sanders Keep His Starting Role?
Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski dismissed inquiries on whether Sanders had performed sufficiently in his debut professional start to maintain the starting job when Dillon Gabriel comes back.
Yet the question will keep being raised as Shedeur became the first Browns signal-caller to win his first league game after Zeier in nineteen ninety-nine – with seventeen other first-year quarterbacks unsuccessful to do so since.
It was just the Las Vegas, and with the help of an almost aggressive Browns defence getting 10 sacks, but the Browns’ offense needs a director, a presence to inspire confidence.
And confidence is something not missing in Sanders, who told a network {