🔗 Share this article

The twelfth week delivered an epic Dallas Cowboys rally, or perhaps an massive Philadelphia Eagles collapse?

Playoff Patrick Mahomes arrived to rescue the Kansas City's season while the Bears continue to impress as they continue their victorious streak.

And did Shedeur Sanders perform enough on his debut NFL start to secure the full-time job in Cleveland?

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

Analysis – Dallas Rally or Philly Fail?

The Cowboys found themselves down and out at twenty-one to zero down versus the reigning Super Bowl champions, how exactly did they engineer their joint-best comeback ever?

Sentiment of a first home fixture after Marshawn Kneeland tragic death could have been a factor, however it was a mixture of Dak Prescott resolve and a defence that pounced on rare errors by the Eagles.

Dak eclipsed Tony Romo marks for passing yards (now thirty-four thousand three hundred seventy-eight) and clutch possessions (25) with an dynamic performance – his plunging score personifying his energetic display.

Philadelphia 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 year – the previous being another disappointing NFC East loss at the New York.

Along with 14 infractions for ninety-six yards, the offensive struggles that affected Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an explosive start was significant. He'd only thrown for 200-plus yards in 4 games prior to the weekend, he had more than 150 in the opening two quarters alone in Texas.

However from the time Philadelphia went twenty-one to zero up their offence fell apart dramatically – with four straight kicks, a missed field goal and then a fumble handing opportunity after opportunity to the Cowboys.

The Eagles defense is excellent, it truly is, but an offense that's not eclipsed 21 points in 5 of seven games (3 losses) is now a huge concern, because the components are all there but it's simply not working.

Nick Sirianni approach is all about securing the big situations, the defence maintains them in it and what offense there is does just about sufficient – if it can't even do that and now the composure and ball protection is failing, there could be trouble ahead.

In Focus – Postseason Mahomes Appears Early to Save Kansas City

It wasn't quite as dramatic, but Kansas City's 11-point recovery in the final period against a strong Indianapolis squad was very notable – and may have only rescued their campaign.

How significant was it? Well, the league’s advanced analytics now give the Chiefs a fifty-eight percent chance of making the postseason, when a loss on Sunday would have reduced that number to 28%.

No wonder the postseason form of Patrick Mahomes arrived, passing for 235 yards in the latter half by itself and guiding 3 scoring possessions in their final 4 series to seal it in overtime.

Some huge passes and swashbuckling scrambles are typical for Patrick in the playoffs, but currently the Chiefs are in playoff mode – at six and five and only 10th in the AFC standings.

That was closer to the former Kansas City however, with a initial one-score victory of the year after losing 5 already – they won 11 of them last year so, if that confidence returns, this Kansas City faithful may not be finished so soon.

Talking Point – Can Bears Become Rulers of the North?

You can no longer overlook the Bears any longer. A win over the Steelers, minus Rodgers, kept them top of the division and at 8-3 – holding the identical record as the Philadelphia.

They look dangerous on each side of the field, with a defence that leads the NFL in picks and total takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a emerging player now used to winning close games.

He may still be shaky, giving away a touchdown after a turnover in his team’s goal area – but he also passed for three scores and, with already five fourth-quarter comebacks this season, he understands how to finish the game.

The Green Bay Packers are in close pursuit in the NFC North after overpowering the Minnesota and Detroit are in contention after overcoming the New York in overtime with a monster game from Jahmyr Gibbs.

Chicago are interestingly the most reliable with eight wins in nine, but as they travel to the championship winners on Thanksgiving we'll see exactly how good they truly are.

Look Ahead – Thrilling Thanksgiving in Store

It appears among the most exciting Thanksgiving line-ups for years, with every game loaded with postseason consequences.

The Lions host the Packers in the classic curtain-raiser in Michigan, before a rare trip return to Texas for the Chiefs, who began life as the Texans long ago in the sixties before relocating to Kansas City.

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

What about the Ravens? An unattractive victory over the Jets in fact has them top of the AFC North after starting 1-5 and appearing dead and buried.

Holiday and Shopping Day Games (all times GMT)

• Thursday, 27 November: Packers @ Detroit Lions (18:00)
• Thursday, twenty-seven November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Cowboys (9:30 PM)
• Friday, 28 November: Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (01:20)
• Friday, twenty-eight November: Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (20:00)

Can Sanders Retain His Starting Role?

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski batted away questions on whether Sanders had done sufficiently in his debut NFL outing to maintain the first-team position when Dillon Gabriel returns.

Yet the issue will continue to be asked as Shedeur became the first Browns quarterback to secure his debut NFL game after Eric Zeier in 1999 – with 17 additional rookie quarterbacks unsuccessful to do so afterward.

It was just the Las Vegas, and with the assistance of an almost feral Cleveland defense recording 10 sacks, but the Browns’ offence requires a leader, a presence to inspire belief.

And confidence is something not lacking in Shedeur, who informed a CBS {