🔗 Share this article

Week 12 provided an epic Cowboys comeback, or was it an massive Philadelphia Eagles implosion?

Postseason Patrick Mahomes arrived to rescue the Chiefs' campaign while the Chicago Bears keep to surprise as they extend their victorious streak.

And did Sanders perform enough on his debut NFL outing to earn the starting role in Cleveland?

Let's take a look at the best of the action in the NFL.

Analysis – Cowboys Comeback or Eagles Collapse?

The Cowboys found themselves down and out at 21-0 behind against the reigning championship champions, so how on earth did they engineer their joint-best comeback ever?

Sentiment of a initial home fixture after a teammate’s tragic passing could have been a factor, however it was a mixture of Prescott’s determination and a defence that cashed in on uncommon mistakes by the Philadelphia.

Prescott surpassed Tony Romo records for yards thrown (now thirty-four thousand three hundred seventy-eight) and game-winning possessions (25) with an dynamic performance – his plunging score embodying his all-action display.

Philly wasted a advantage of 21 points or more for the initial time since 1999, with just their second game with multiple turnovers this season – the previous being a disappointing NFC East loss 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 start was significant. He had only passed for over two hundred yards in 4 games before the weekend, he had over 150 in the opening two quarters by himself in Texas.

Yet from the time the Eagles went 21-0 up their offence derailed dramatically – with four straight punts, a failed three-point attempt and then a fumble giving opportunity after chance to the Dallas.

Philadelphia’s defence is excellent, it really is, but an offense that's not surpassed 21 points in five of seven games (three losses) is now a major worry, because the pieces are all there but it's simply not working.

Nick Sirianni approach is all about securing the key situations, the defence keeps them in it and what offense there is does just about enough – if it cannot even do that and now the composure and possession security is breaking down, there could be trouble ahead.

Spotlight – Playoff Patrick Appears Prematurely to Rescue Kansas City

It wasn't as extreme, but the Chiefs’ 11-point recovery in the final period against a strong Indianapolis team was very notable – and may have just rescued their campaign.

How significant was it? Well, the league’s Next Gen Stats now give the Kansas City a 58% probability of making the postseason, whereas a loss on the weekend would have dropped that number to twenty-eight percent.

No wonder the postseason version of Patrick Mahomes turned up, passing for 235 yards in the latter half alone and leading three point-scoring possessions in their final four possessions to win it in overtime.

Some huge passes and swashbuckling scrambles are commonplace for Patrick in the playoffs, but right now the Chiefs are in playoff mode – at 6-5 and just tenth in the conference rankings.

This was more like the old Kansas City though, with a initial close win of the year after losing 5 already – they secured eleven of them last year so, if that confidence returns, this Chiefs Kingdom might not be finished so soon.

Talking Point – Can Bears Become Rulers of the Division?

You just can't overlook the Bears now. A win over the Steelers, without Rodgers, maintained them first of the NFC North and at eight and three – sharing the identical record as the Eagles.

They appear threatening on both sides of the ball, with a defense that leads the league in picks and total takeaways and, in Williams, a young player now used to securing close games.

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

The Green Bay Packers are in close pursuit in the division after dominating the Vikings and the Lions are right there after beating the Giants in extra time with a monster game from Jahmyr Gibbs.

The Bears are interestingly the most consistent with eight victories in 9, but as they travel to the Super Bowl winners on the holiday we'll discover exactly how good they truly are.

Look Ahead – Exciting Thanksgiving in Prospect

It appears one of the best Thanksgiving line-ups for years, with every game loaded with playoff consequences.

Detroit host the Packers in the traditional curtain-raiser in Detroit, before a rare trip return to Texas for the Kansas City, who started out existence as the Dallas Texans long ago in the sixties before moving to Kansas City.

Sunday's rally teams are each clinging to playoff aspirations but have minimal room for error – so this will have a playoff atmosphere.

What about the Baltimore Ravens? An ugly victory over the New York actually has them top of the division after starting one and five and appearing dead and buried.

Holiday 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 @ Dallas Cowboys (9:30 PM)
• Friday, 28 November: Bengals @ Ravens (01:20)
• Friday, twenty-eight November: Bears @ Eagles (8:00 PM)

Will Shedeur Sanders Retain His Starting Role?

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

But the question will keep being raised as Shedeur became the first Browns quarterback to win his first NFL game after Eric Zeier in 1999 – with seventeen additional first-year signal callers unsuccessful to do so afterward.

It came just the Las Vegas, and with the help of an almost aggressive Cleveland defense getting ten sacks, but Cleveland's offense requires a director, a figurehead to inspire confidence.

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