🔗 Share this article

Week 12 provided an incredible Dallas Cowboys comeback, or was it an epic Eagles implosion?

Playoff Mahomes arrived to rescue the Kansas City's campaign as the Bears continue to surprise as they continue their winning streak.

And did Shedeur Sanders perform enough on his first professional outing to earn the full-time job in Ohio?

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

Analysis – Cowboys Comeback or Eagles Collapse?

Dallas found themselves down and out at 21-0 down against the reigning championship champions, how exactly did they engineer their joint-best comeback in history?

The emotions of a first home game after Marshawn Kneeland untimely death could have played a part, but technically it was a combination of Prescott’s resolve and a defensive unit that cashed in on rare mistakes by the Eagles.

Dak surpassed Romo’s records for passing yards (now 34,378) and clutch drives (twenty-five) with an all-action performance – his diving score embodying his energetic display.

Philadelphia wasted a lead of twenty-one points or more for the initial time after 1999, with just their second game with multiple turnovers this year – the previous being a bad division defeat at the New York.

Along with fourteen infractions for ninety-six yards, the offensive struggles that affected Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an explosive beginning was significant. He had only passed for 200-plus yards in 4 games before Sunday, he had over 150 in the opening two quarters alone in Texas.

However from the time Philadelphia went twenty-one to zero up their offence fell apart spectacularly – with four consecutive punts, a failed field goal and then a turnover handing chance after opportunity to the Cowboys.

The Eagles defense is brilliant, it truly is, but an offense 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 simply not clicking.

Nick Sirianni game is all about securing the key moments, the defence maintains them in it and what offense there is manages barely enough – if it can't even do that and now the discipline and possession security is failing, there could be trouble ahead.

Spotlight – Postseason Mahomes Appears Early to Rescue Chiefs

It wasn’t as dramatic, but Kansas City's 11-point recovery in the fourth quarter against a strong Indianapolis team was very impressive – and could have only rescued their season.

How big was it? Indeed, the league’s advanced analytics now give the Kansas City a fifty-eight percent chance of reaching the postseason, when a loss on the weekend would have reduced that figure to twenty-eight percent.

No wonder the postseason form of Mahomes turned up, passing for two hundred thirty-five yards in the latter half alone and leading 3 point-scoring possessions in their last four possessions to seal it in overtime.

Some big passes and swashbuckling scrambles are commonplace for Patrick in the playoffs, but right now the Chiefs are in post-season mode – at 6-5 and only 10th in the conference standings.

That was more like the old Kansas City however, with a first one-score victory of the year after dropping 5 already – they won eleven of them last year so, if that belief comes back, this Chiefs Kingdom might not be finished just yet.

Discussion – Are Chicago Become Rulers of the North?

You just can't overlook the Bears now. A victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, minus Rodgers, kept them top of the NFC North and at eight and three – sharing the identical standing as the Philadelphia.

They look threatening on both sides of the field, with a defense that leads the league in picks and overall takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a emerging quarterback now accustomed to securing close games.

He can at times be shaky, surrendering a touchdown after a turnover in his team’s end zone – but he also passed for three scores and, with already five final period rallies this year, he understands how to finish the game.

Green Bay are in close pursuit in the NFC North after overpowering the Minnesota and Detroit are in contention after beating the New York in extra time with a huge game from Jahmyr Gibbs.

Chicago are interestingly the most reliable with eight wins in 9, but as they visit the championship champs on the holiday we'll see just how good they truly are.

Preview – Exciting Holiday in Prospect

It appears among the most exciting holiday schedules for years, with every game loaded with playoff consequences.

The Lions welcome the Packers in the classic curtain-raiser in Michigan, before a rare visit return to Texas for the Kansas City, who started out existence as the Dallas Texans way back in the sixties before relocating to Missouri.

The weekend’s comeback kings are each clinging to playoff aspirations but have minimal room for error – so this will have a playoff feel.

What about the Ravens? An ugly victory over the New York in fact has them top of the AFC North after beginning one and five and looking finished.

Holiday and Black Friday Fixtures (all times GMT)

• Thursday, twenty-seven November: Packers @ Lions (6:00 PM)
• Thursday, twenty-seven November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys (9:30 PM)
• Friday, 28 November: Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (1:20 AM)
• Friday, twenty-eight November: Chicago Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (20:00)

Can Sanders Keep His Starting Role?

Browns coach Stefanski dismissed questions on whether Sanders had performed sufficiently in his debut NFL outing to keep the starting job when Dillon Gabriel returns.

Yet the issue will keep being raised as Shedeur became the first Browns quarterback to win his debut league game since Eric Zeier in nineteen ninety-nine – with seventeen additional first-year signal callers failing to do so since.

It was just the Raiders, and with the assistance of an almost aggressive Browns defence getting ten tackles, but the Browns’ offense requires a director, a presence to inspire confidence.

And confidence is something not missing in Sanders, who told a CBS {