Philly Stumble in Texas & Mahomes Rescues Kansas City – Top Highlights from National Football League the Twelfth Week
The twelfth week provided an epic Cowboys rally, or was it an epic Eagles collapse?
Postseason Mahomes arrived to salvage the Kansas City's season as the Bears continue to surprise while they continue their winning streak.
Did Sanders do enough on his first NFL outing to earn the full-time role in Ohio?
We’ll examine at the pick of the week in the league.
The Breakdown – Cowboys Comeback or Eagles Collapse?
Dallas were trailing badly at twenty-one to zero behind versus the defending championship champions, so how on earth did they produce their joint-best comeback ever?
Sentiment of a first home game after a teammate’s tragic passing may have been a factor, however it was a mixture of Dak Prescott resolve and a defensive unit that pounced on uncommon errors by the Eagles.
Prescott eclipsed Romo’s marks for passing yards (now 34,378) and game-winning possessions (twenty-five) with an dynamic display – his plunging touchdown 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 season – the previous being another bad NFC East loss at the Giants.
In addition to 14 infractions for 96 yards, the offensive malaise that affected Hurts after what – for him – was an fast start was significant. He'd 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 Dallas.
However from the time Philadelphia went 21-0 up their offence fell apart dramatically – with four consecutive kicks, a missed three-point attempt and then a turnover handing opportunity after opportunity to the Cowboys.
Philadelphia’s defence is brilliant, it really is, but an offense that's not surpassed twenty-one points in five of seven games (three losses) is now a huge worry, because the pieces are all there but it's just not working.
Nick Sirianni approach is all about securing the key situations, the defence maintains them in it and what offense there is manages just about enough – if it can't even do that and now the discipline and possession security is failing, there could be trouble ahead.
In Focus – Postseason Mahomes Appears Prematurely to Rescue Kansas City
It wasn’t as dramatic, but the Chiefs’ eleven-point comeback in the fourth quarter versus a strong Indianapolis squad was very notable – and could have only rescued their campaign.
How big was it? Indeed, the league’s Next Gen Stats now give the Kansas City a fifty-eight percent probability of reaching the playoffs, when a defeat on Sunday would have reduced that figure to twenty-eight percent.
It’s no surprise the playoff form of Mahomes turned up, passing for 235 yards in the latter half alone and leading three scoring drives in their last four possessions to seal it in overtime.
Some huge passes and swashbuckling runs are typical for Mahomes in the postseason, but right now the Kansas City are in post-season form – at six and five and only tenth in the AFC rankings.
This was more like the former Chiefs though, with a initial one-score victory of the year after losing five already – they secured eleven of them the previous season so, if that confidence returns, this Kansas City faithful may not be done just yet.
Discussion – Can Bears Become Kings of the Division?
You can no longer overlook the Bears now. A victory over the Steelers, without Rodgers, kept them top of the division and at eight and three – holding the identical standing as the Philadelphia.
They appear threatening on both sides of the field, with a defense that tops the league in picks and total turnovers and, in Williams, a young quarterback now accustomed to securing tight games.
He may still be inconsistent, surrendering a score after a fumble in his team’s end zone – but he also threw 3 scores and, with already five final period comebacks this year, he knows how to get the job done.
The Green Bay Packers are in hot chase in the NFC North after dominating the Minnesota and Detroit are right there after beating the Giants in extra time with a huge game from Jahmyr Gibbs.
Chicago are interestingly the most reliable with 8 victories in nine, but as they travel to the Super Bowl winners on the holiday we'll see just how good they truly are.
Look Ahead – Exciting Holiday in Store
This looks among the most exciting holiday line-ups for years, with each game packed with playoff consequences.
The Lions host the Green Bay in the traditional opener in Michigan, before a rare trip return to Dallas for the Kansas City, who started out existence as the Dallas Texans long ago in the 1960s before relocating to Missouri.
Sunday's comeback kings are both clinging to postseason aspirations but have very little room for error – so this will have a playoff atmosphere.
And how about the Baltimore Ravens? An ugly win over the Jets actually has them top of the AFC North after beginning 1-5 and looking dead and buried.
Thanksgiving and Black Friday Games (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 @ Baltimore Ravens (01:20)
- Friday, twenty-eight November: Chicago Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (8:00 PM)
Can Sanders Keep His Job?
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski batted away questions on whether Sanders had done sufficiently in his debut NFL outing to keep the starting job when Gabriel comes back.
But the question will continue to be asked as Shedeur became the first Cleveland signal-caller to secure his debut NFL game after Eric Zeier in 1999 – with seventeen additional rookie quarterbacks unsuccessful to do so afterward.
It came just the Raiders, and with the help of an nearly feral Cleveland defense recording ten sacks, but Cleveland's offense needs a leader, a presence to build confidence.
And self-belief is something not missing in Sanders, who informed a network {