🔗 Share this article

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

Postseason Patrick Mahomes arrived to salvage the Chiefs' campaign while the Bears continue to impress as they extend their victorious run.

And did Shedeur Sanders perform enough on his first professional outing to secure the starting job in Cleveland?

We’ll examine at the pick of the week in the league.

The Breakdown – Dallas Rally or Eagles Collapse?

The Cowboys were trailing badly at 21-0 behind against the defending Super Bowl winners, so how on earth did they produce their joint-best comeback in history?

Sentiment of a first home game after Marshawn Kneeland tragic death may have been a factor, however it was a mixture of Dak Prescott determination and a defence that pounced on rare mistakes by the Philadelphia.

Prescott eclipsed Tony Romo marks for yards thrown (now thirty-four thousand three hundred seventy-eight) and clutch drives (25) with an all-action display – his diving touchdown embodying his energetic showing.

Philly squandered a advantage of twenty-one points or more for the first time since nineteen ninety-nine, with only their second game with several turnovers this season – the previous being a bad NFC East loss at the Giants.

Along with fourteen penalties for 96 yards, the attacking struggles that affected Hurts after what – for him – was an fast beginning was huge. He'd only passed for 200-plus yards in four games prior to Sunday, he had over one hundred fifty in the opening two quarters alone in Texas.

However from the time the Eagles went twenty-one to zero up their offence derailed spectacularly – with four consecutive kicks, a missed field goal and then a turnover giving chance after chance to the Cowboys.

The Eagles defense is brilliant, it truly is, but an offence that's not surpassed twenty-one points in 5 of seven games (three losses) is now a huge concern, because the components are all there but it's just not clicking.

Sirianni’s approach is all about winning the big moments, the defence keeps them in it and what offense there is does barely enough – if it can't even do that and now the composure and ball protection is breaking down, there may be trouble in the future.

In Focus – Postseason Mahomes Shows Up Prematurely to Rescue Kansas City

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

How significant was it? Well, the NFL's advanced analytics now assign the Chiefs a 58% chance of reaching the playoffs, whereas a defeat on the weekend would have reduced that number to twenty-eight percent.

It’s no surprise the postseason form of Mahomes turned up, passing for 235 yards in the second half alone and leading 3 point-scoring possessions in their last 4 series to win it in extra time.

A few big throws and daring scrambles are commonplace for Patrick in the playoffs, but right now the Chiefs are in post-season mode – at six and five and just 10th in the conference standings.

That was closer to the old Chiefs though, with a first one-score victory of the season after losing 5 previously – they secured eleven of them last year so, if that belief returns, this Chiefs Kingdom may not be finished so soon.

Discussion – Are Chicago Be Rulers of the Division?

You can no longer overlook the Bears any longer. A win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, without Rodgers, kept them top of the division and at 8-3 – holding the identical standing as the Philadelphia.

They look dangerous on each side of the ball, with a defense that leads the league in picks and overall takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a young player now used to winning tight games.

He can at times be inconsistent, surrendering a touchdown after a fumble in his own goal area – but he additionally threw three touchdowns and, with already 5 final period comebacks this year, he knows how to get the job done.

The Green Bay Packers are in close pursuit in the NFC North after dominating the Vikings and the Lions are right there after overcoming the Giants in extra time with a huge game from Gibbs.

The Bears are interestingly the most reliable with eight victories in 9, but as they visit the championship winners on the holiday we'll discover exactly how good they really are.

Look Ahead – Thrilling Thanksgiving in Store

It appears one of the best Thanksgiving line-ups for a long time, with each game loaded with playoff consequences.

The Lions host the Green Bay in the classic opener in Michigan, prior to a rare trip back to Dallas for the Chiefs, who began life as the Dallas Texans way back in the sixties before moving to Kansas City.

The weekend’s comeback teams are both holding on to playoff hopes but have minimal margin for error – so this will have a post-season atmosphere.

And how about the Baltimore Ravens? An ugly victory over the New York actually has them leading of the division after starting 1-5 and looking finished.

Holiday and Black Friday Games (all times GMT)

• Thursday, twenty-seven November: Packers @ Lions (6:00 PM)
• Thursday, twenty-seven November: Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys (21:30)
• Friday, twenty-eight November: Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (01:20)
• Friday, twenty-eight November: Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (20:00)

Can Sanders Keep His Job?

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski batted away questions on whether Shedeur Sanders had performed sufficiently in his debut NFL start to maintain the starting job when Gabriel comes back.

Yet the issue will keep being raised as Sanders became the first Cleveland quarterback to secure his debut league game after Zeier in nineteen ninety-nine – with seventeen other first-year signal callers failing to do so afterward.

It was just the Raiders, and with the help of an almost feral Cleveland defence getting ten sacks, but Cleveland's offense needs a leader, a presence to inspire confidence.

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