Philadelphia Stumble in Dallas & Mahomes Saves Kansas City – Top Moments from NFL Week 12

The twelfth week delivered an epic Cowboys comeback, or was it an massive Eagles implosion?

Postseason Mahomes showed up to salvage the Kansas City's campaign while the Bears continue to surprise as they extend their victorious run.

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

We’ll examine at the best of the action in the NFL.

The Breakdown – Dallas Rally or Philly Fail?

Dallas were trailing badly at 21-0 down against the reigning Super Bowl winners, so how on earth did they engineer their joint-best comeback in history?

Sentiment of a first home game since a teammate’s tragic passing may have played a part, however it was a mixture of Dak Prescott determination and a defence that cashed in on uncommon mistakes by the Eagles.

Dak eclipsed Romo’s marks for yards thrown (now thirty-four thousand three hundred seventy-eight) and clutch drives (25) with an dynamic performance – his plunging score embodying his all-action showing.

Philly wasted a lead of twenty-one points or more for the first time since nineteen ninety-nine, with only their second game with multiple turnovers this season – the other being a bad division defeat at the New York.

In addition to 14 penalties for ninety-six yards, the attacking struggles that hit Hurts after what – for him – was an fast beginning was huge. He had only thrown for 200-plus yards in 4 games before the weekend, he had more than one hundred fifty in the opening two quarters by himself in Texas.

Yet from the time Philadelphia went 21-0 up their offence fell apart spectacularly – with four consecutive kicks, a missed three-point attempt and then a fumble handing opportunity after opportunity to the Dallas.

The Eagles defence is brilliant, it really is, but an offense that's not surpassed 21 points in 5 of 7 games (three losses) is now a major concern, because the pieces are all there but it's simply not clicking.

Nick Sirianni game is all about winning the big moments, the defense maintains them in it and what offence there is does just about enough – if it can't even do that and now the discipline and possession security is breaking down, there may be problems ahead.

In Focus – Postseason Mahomes Shows Up Prematurely to Rescue Chiefs

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

How significant was it? Well, the league’s Next Gen Stats now give the Chiefs a fifty-eight percent chance of reaching the postseason, whereas a defeat on the weekend would have dropped that figure to 28%.

No wonder the playoff form of Patrick Mahomes arrived, passing for two hundred thirty-five yards in the second half by itself and leading three scoring drives in their last four possessions to seal it in overtime.

A few big throws and daring runs are commonplace for Patrick in the postseason, but right now the Kansas City are in playoff form – at 6-5 and only 10th in the conference rankings.

This was closer to the old Chiefs however, with a first one-score victory of the season after dropping 5 previously – they secured 11 of them the previous season so, if that belief comes back, this Kansas City faithful may not be done just yet.

Talking Point – Can Bears Be Kings of the Division?

You can no longer ignore the Chicago Bears now. A win over the Steelers, minus Rodgers, maintained them first of the NFC North and at eight and three – sharing the same record as the Philadelphia.

They appear dangerous 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 used to securing tight games.

He can still be inconsistent, giving away a score after a turnover in his team’s end zone – but he additionally passed for 3 touchdowns and, with already five final period comebacks this year, he understands how to finish the game.

The Green Bay Packers are in hot pursuit in the NFC North after dominating the Vikings and the Lions are in contention after overcoming the New York in overtime with a monster game from Jahmyr Gibbs.

Chicago are interestingly the most consistent with 8 wins in nine, but as they travel to the championship champs on Thanksgiving we'll see exactly how strong they truly are.

Look Ahead – Exciting Thanksgiving in Store

This looks one of the most exciting Thanksgiving schedules for years, with every game loaded with playoff consequences.

The Lions welcome the Green Bay in the classic opener in Detroit, before a unusual visit back to Dallas for the Kansas City, who started out existence as the Texans long ago in the 1960s before relocating to Missouri.

The weekend’s comeback teams are each clinging to playoff aspirations but have minimal room for mistakes – so this will have a post-season atmosphere.

And how about the Baltimore Ravens? An ugly win over the New York actually has them top of the division after beginning 1-5 and looking dead and buried.

Thanksgiving and Black Friday Fixtures (all times GMT)

  • Thursday, twenty-seven November: Packers @ Detroit Lions (6:00 PM)
  • Thursday, twenty-seven November: Chiefs @ Cowboys (21:30)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Bengals @ Ravens (01:20)
  • Friday, 28 November: Chicago Bears @ Eagles (8:00 PM)

Can Sanders Retain His Starting Role?

Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski dismissed inquiries on whether Sanders had performed enough in his debut professional start to keep the first-team position when Dillon Gabriel comes back.

But the issue will keep being asked as Shedeur became the first Browns signal-caller to win his debut league start after Zeier in nineteen ninety-nine – with seventeen other first-year signal callers unsuccessful to do so afterward.

It was just the Las Vegas, and with the help of an almost aggressive Browns defence recording ten sacks, but the Browns’ offense requires a leader, a presence to build confidence.

And confidence is one thing not lacking in Sanders, who told a network {

Marc Castillo
Marc Castillo

Elara is a minimalist lifestyle coach and interior designer who shares insights on creating serene, functional spaces.