🔗 Share this article

Week 12 delivered an incredible Cowboys rally, or perhaps an epic Philadelphia Eagles collapse?

Postseason Patrick Mahomes arrived to rescue the Kansas City's campaign while the Bears continue to surprise while they continue their winning run.

And did Sanders perform enough on his first NFL outing to earn the full-time role in Cleveland?

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

The Breakdown – Dallas Rally or Philly Fail?

The Cowboys were trailing badly at 21-0 behind against the defending Super Bowl winners, so how on earth did they produce their equal-largest comeback ever?

The emotions of a initial home game after a teammate’s untimely death could have been a factor, however it was a combination of Dak Prescott determination and a defensive unit that cashed in on uncommon mistakes by the Philadelphia.

Prescott eclipsed Tony Romo marks for yards thrown (now 34,378) and game-winning drives (25) with an dynamic performance – his plunging touchdown embodying his all-action display.

Philly squandered a lead of twenty-one points or more for the initial time after nineteen ninety-nine, with just their second game with several turnovers this season – the previous being a disappointing division defeat at the Giants.

In addition to 14 infractions for ninety-six yards, the offensive struggles that hit Hurts after what – for him – was an explosive start was significant. He'd only passed for over two hundred yards in 4 games prior to the weekend, he had more than 150 in the first half by himself in Texas.

However from the time Philadelphia went 21-0 up their offence derailed dramatically – with four straight kicks, a missed three-point attempt and then a turnover handing chance after chance to the Dallas.

Philadelphia’s defense is excellent, it truly is, but an offense that's not surpassed twenty-one points in five of seven games (three losses) is now a major concern, because the components are all there but it's just not working.

Sirianni’s game is all about winning the key situations, the defense maintains them in it and what offence there is manages barely sufficient – if it cannot even do that and now the composure and ball protection is failing, there may be problems ahead.

Spotlight – Playoff Patrick Appears Prematurely to Rescue Chiefs

It wasn’t as dramatic, but the Chiefs’ 11-point recovery in the final period against a powerful Indianapolis squad was very impressive – and could have just saved their campaign.

How significant was it? Indeed, the NFL's advanced analytics now give the Chiefs a 58% probability of reaching the playoffs, whereas a defeat on Sunday would have dropped that number to twenty-eight percent.

It’s no surprise the postseason version of Mahomes arrived, throwing for two hundred thirty-five yards in the second half by itself and leading three scoring possessions in their last four series to win it in extra time.

Some huge throws and daring scrambles are typical for Patrick in the playoffs, but currently the Chiefs are in post-season form – at six and five and just tenth in the conference standings.

This was closer to the old Kansas City however, with a initial one-score victory of the year after dropping 5 previously – they secured eleven of them last year so, if that belief comes back, this Chiefs Kingdom might not be finished so soon.

Discussion – Are Chicago Become Kings of the North?

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

They appear threatening on each side of the ball, with a defence that leads the league in interceptions and overall turnovers and, in Caleb Williams, a emerging quarterback now used to winning close games.

He may still be inconsistent, surrendering a score after a fumble in his own end zone – but he additionally passed for 3 touchdowns and, with already five final period rallies this year, he understands how to finish the game.

The Green Bay Packers are in hot pursuit in the division after dominating the Vikings and Detroit are right there after overcoming the New York in overtime with a huge game from Jahmyr Gibbs.

Chicago are interestingly the most consistent with eight wins in nine, but as they visit the championship winners on the holiday we'll discover exactly how strong they truly are.

Look Ahead – Exciting Holiday in Store

It appears among the best holiday schedules for a long time, with each game loaded with postseason implications.

The Lions host the Green Bay in the traditional curtain-raiser in Detroit, prior to a rare visit back to Texas for the Chiefs, who started out life as the Dallas Texans way back in the sixties before relocating to Kansas City.

Sunday's comeback teams are both holding on to playoff hopes but have minimal room for error – so this will have a post-season feel.

And how about the Ravens? An ugly win over the New York actually has them top of the AFC North after starting 1-5 and appearing dead and buried.

Thanksgiving and Shopping Day Fixtures (all times GMT)

• Thursday, twenty-seven November: Green Bay Packers @ Lions (6:00 PM)
• Thursday, twenty-seven November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Cowboys (9:30 PM)
• Friday, twenty-eight November: Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (01:20)
• Friday, twenty-eight November: Bears @ Eagles (20:00)

Will Shedeur Sanders Keep His Job?

Browns head coach Stefanski batted away questions on whether Shedeur Sanders had done enough in his debut professional outing to keep the starting job when Dillon Gabriel returns.

But the issue will keep being asked as Shedeur became the first Cleveland quarterback to win his first NFL start since Eric Zeier in nineteen ninety-nine – with 17 other first-year quarterbacks unsuccessful to do so afterward.

It came only the Raiders, and with the help of an almost feral Browns defense recording ten tackles, but Cleveland's offence requires a director, a figurehead to build belief.

And self-belief is something not missing in Shedeur, who informed a network {