🔗 Share this article

Week 12 delivered an epic Cowboys rally, or was it an massive Philadelphia Eagles collapse?

Playoff Mahomes arrived to rescue the Chiefs' campaign as the Chicago Bears keep to surprise while they continue their victorious streak.

Did Shedeur Sanders perform enough on his debut NFL start to earn the starting job in Ohio?

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

Analysis – Cowboys Comeback or Philly Fail?

The Cowboys were down and out at twenty-one to zero down against the defending Super Bowl winners, so how on earth did they engineer their joint-best comeback ever?

Sentiment of a initial home fixture since Marshawn Kneeland tragic passing may have played a part, but technically it was a combination of Prescott’s resolve and a defence that cashed in on rare mistakes by the Eagles.

Prescott surpassed Tony Romo records for passing yards (now 34,378) and clutch drives (25) with an dynamic display – his diving score personifying his all-action showing.

Philadelphia squandered a lead of twenty-one points or more for the first time since 1999, with just their second game with multiple giveaways this season – the other being another bad NFC East defeat at the Giants.

In addition to fourteen infractions for 96 yards, the attacking malaise that hit Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an fast beginning was huge. He had only passed for over two hundred yards in 4 games prior to Sunday, he had over 150 in the first half alone in Dallas.

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

Philadelphia’s defense is brilliant, it truly is, but an offence that's not surpassed twenty-one points in five of 7 games (3 losses) is now a major concern, because the components are all there but it's just not clicking.

Nick Sirianni approach is all about securing the key moments, the defence keeps them in it and what offense there is does just about enough – if it can't even do that and now the composure and possession security is failing, there may be trouble ahead.

In Focus – Playoff Patrick Shows Up Early to Save Chiefs

It wasn’t quite as extreme, but Kansas City's eleven-point comeback in the final period versus a strong Indianapolis team was very notable – and may have only saved their season.

How big was it? Well, the league’s advanced analytics now give the Kansas City a 58% chance of making the playoffs, when a defeat on the weekend would have reduced that figure to 28%.

It’s no surprise the playoff version of Mahomes arrived, passing for 235 yards in the latter half by itself and guiding three scoring possessions in their final 4 series to seal it in extra time.

Some big passes and daring scrambles are typical for Patrick in the playoffs, but right now the Chiefs are in playoff form – at six and five and only 10th in the conference standings.

This was closer to the former Kansas City however, with a initial close victory of the season after losing 5 previously – they won eleven of them last year so, if that confidence comes back, this Chiefs Kingdom might not be done just yet.

Talking Point – Can Bears Be Kings of the Division?

You just can't overlook the Chicago Bears any longer. A victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, without Aaron Rodgers, kept them top of the NFC North and at 8-3 – sharing the same standing as the Eagles.

They look dangerous on both sides of the ball, with a defence that tops the league in picks and overall takeaways and, in Williams, a young quarterback now used to securing close games.

He can still be shaky, surrendering a score after a fumble in his own goal area – but he additionally passed for three touchdowns and, with already 5 final period comebacks this season, he knows how to get the job done.

Green Bay are in hot pursuit in the NFC North after overpowering the Vikings and Detroit are in contention after overcoming the Giants in extra time with a monster game from Jahmyr Gibbs.

Chicago are interestingly the most reliable with 8 wins in nine, but as they travel to the Super Bowl champs on the holiday we'll see just how good they really are.

Look Ahead – Thrilling Thanksgiving in Prospect

It appears one of the most exciting Thanksgiving schedules for a long time, with every game loaded with postseason consequences.

Detroit host the Packers in the traditional opener in Detroit, prior to a rare visit back to Dallas for the Chiefs, who started out existence as the Dallas Texans long ago in the sixties before relocating to Missouri.

The weekend’s comeback teams are each holding on to postseason aspirations but have minimal margin for mistakes – so this will have a post-season feel.

What about the Ravens? An ugly victory over the New York actually has them leading of the division after beginning 1-5 and appearing finished.

Holiday and Shopping Day Games (all times GMT)

• Thursday, 27 November: Packers @ Detroit Lions (18:00)
• Thursday, 27 November: Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys (21:30)
• Friday, twenty-eight November: Bengals @ Ravens (01:20)
• Friday, twenty-eight November: Bears @ Eagles (20:00)

Can Sanders Retain His Job?

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

Yet the question will continue to be asked as Sanders became the first Browns quarterback to win his debut NFL start since Eric Zeier in 1999 – with 17 additional first-year quarterbacks unsuccessful to do so since.

It came just the Raiders, and with the assistance of an nearly feral Cleveland defense getting ten tackles, but Cleveland's offence needs a director, a figurehead to build confidence.

Moreover self-belief is something not missing in Sanders, who informed a CBS {