🔗 Share this article

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

Playoff Patrick Mahomes showed up to rescue the Kansas City's campaign while the Chicago Bears continue to surprise while they continue their victorious streak.

And did Sanders perform sufficiently on his first professional outing to secure the full-time job in Ohio?

Let's take a look at the pick of the action in the league.

The Breakdown – Cowboys Comeback or Eagles Collapse?

The Cowboys found themselves trailing badly at 21-0 down against the reigning championship champions, so how on earth did they produce their joint-best comeback in history?

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

Dak surpassed Tony Romo records for passing yards (now 34,378) and game-winning drives (25) with an dynamic display – his plunging score embodying his all-action display.

Philadelphia wasted a lead of twenty-one points or more for the first time after 1999, with just their second game with several giveaways this year – the other being another bad division defeat at the New York.

In addition to 14 penalties for ninety-six yards, the attacking malaise that affected Jalen Hurts after what – for him – was an fast beginning was huge. He'd only thrown for 200-plus yards in four games before the weekend, he had over one hundred fifty in the opening two quarters by himself in Dallas.

Yet 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 opportunity to the Cowboys.

The Eagles defense is brilliant, it truly is, but an offense that's not eclipsed twenty-one points in five of 7 games (three losses) is now a huge worry, as the pieces are all there but it's just not working.

Sirianni’s game is all about securing the key situations, the defense keeps them in it and what offence there is manages just about enough – if it can't even do that and now the composure and possession security is breaking down, there may be trouble in the future.

In Focus – Postseason Mahomes Appears Prematurely to Save Chiefs

It wasn’t quite as dramatic, but the Chiefs’ eleven-point recovery in the final period against a powerful Indianapolis team was very notable – and could have only rescued their season.

How big was it? Well, the NFL's advanced analytics now assign the Chiefs a 58% probability of reaching the postseason, when a defeat on Sunday would have dropped that figure to twenty-eight percent.

It’s no surprise the postseason version of Patrick Mahomes arrived, passing for two hundred thirty-five yards in the second half by itself and leading three point-scoring possessions in their last 4 possessions to win it in overtime.

Some big throws and swashbuckling scrambles are commonplace for Patrick in the playoffs, but right now the Kansas City are in playoff mode – at 6-5 and only 10th in the conference rankings.

That was closer to the former Chiefs though, with a initial close win of the year after dropping five already – they won 11 of them the previous season so, if that belief comes back, this Chiefs Kingdom might not be done so soon.

Talking Point – Can Bears Become Kings of the North?

You can no longer ignore the Bears any longer. A victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, minus Rodgers, maintained them first of the division and at eight and three – sharing the identical record as the Philadelphia.

They appear dangerous on both sides of the ball, with a defence that leads the NFL in interceptions and overall takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a emerging player now accustomed to securing close games.

He can at times be shaky, giving away a touchdown after a turnover in his team’s goal area – but he additionally passed for three scores and, with already five final period rallies this season, he understands how to get the job done.

Green Bay are in hot chase in the division after overpowering the Vikings and Detroit are in contention after beating the Giants in overtime with a huge game from Gibbs.

The Bears are strangely the most consistent with eight victories in nine, but as they visit the Super Bowl champs on Thanksgiving we'll discover just how strong they truly are.

Preview – Exciting Holiday in Prospect

It appears among the most exciting holiday line-ups for a long time, with every game loaded with playoff consequences.

Detroit welcome the Green Bay in the classic curtain-raiser in Detroit, before a rare visit return to Texas for the Kansas City, who began life as the Texans long ago in the 1960s before moving to Missouri.

Sunday's rally teams are each holding on to postseason aspirations but have very little margin for error – so this will have a playoff feel.

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

Thanksgiving and Black Friday Fixtures (all times GMT)

• Thursday, 27 November: Packers @ Detroit Lions (18:00)
• Thursday, 27 November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Cowboys (9:30 PM)
• Friday, twenty-eight November: Cincinnati Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (1:20 AM)
• Friday, twenty-eight November: Chicago Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (8:00 PM)

Can Sanders Retain His Starting Role?

Browns coach Kevin Stefanski batted away inquiries on whether Sanders had done sufficiently in his debut NFL start to keep the starting job when Gabriel returns.

But the issue will continue to be raised as Shedeur became the first Browns quarterback to win his debut league game after Zeier in 1999 – with seventeen additional first-year signal callers unsuccessful to do so afterward.

It came only the Las Vegas, and with the help of an nearly aggressive Browns defence getting 10 sacks, but the Browns’ offense needs a leader, a presence to build confidence.

And self-belief is one thing not missing in Shedeur, who informed a CBS {