🔗 Share this article

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

Playoff Patrick Mahomes showed up to rescue the Kansas City's campaign while the Bears keep to impress as they continue their winning run.

Did Sanders do enough on his first professional outing to earn the starting job in Cleveland?

Let's take a look at the pick of the week in the NFL.

The Breakdown – Cowboys Comeback or Eagles Collapse?

Dallas were down and out at twenty-one to zero down against the defending Super Bowl champions, how exactly did they engineer their equal-largest comeback in history?

Sentiment of a initial home fixture since Marshawn Kneeland tragic death could have been a factor, but technically it was a mixture of Prescott’s determination and a defence that cashed in on uncommon errors by the Philadelphia.

Dak eclipsed Romo’s marks for passing yards (now 34,378) and clutch drives (25) with an all-action display – his plunging score personifying his all-action showing.

Philadelphia squandered a lead of twenty-one points or more for the first time since nineteen ninety-nine, with just their second game with several giveaways this season – the previous being a bad division loss at the New York.

In addition to fourteen penalties for 96 yards, the attacking struggles that affected Hurts after what – for him – was an fast start was significant. He had only passed for 200-plus yards in four games prior to Sunday, he had more than 150 in the first half alone in Texas.

However from the time the Eagles went twenty-one to zero up their offence derailed dramatically – with four straight punts, a failed field goal and then a turnover handing opportunity after chance to the Dallas.

The Eagles defence is brilliant, it truly is, but an offence that's not surpassed 21 points in 5 of seven games (3 losses) is now a major concern, because the pieces are all there but it's just not working.

Sirianni’s approach is all about securing the key situations, the defence 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 problems ahead.

In Focus – Playoff Patrick Shows Up Early to Save Kansas City

It wasn’t as dramatic, but the Chiefs’ 11-point comeback in the final period against a strong Colts team was hugely notable – and could have only saved their campaign.

How significant was it? Indeed, the NFL's advanced analytics now assign the Chiefs a 58% probability of making the playoffs, when a loss on Sunday would have dropped that number to twenty-eight percent.

It’s no surprise the playoff form of Patrick Mahomes arrived, throwing for 235 yards in the latter half by itself and guiding three point-scoring drives in their last four possessions to win it in extra time.

Some big passes and daring scrambles are typical for Mahomes in the playoffs, but right now the Kansas City are in post-season mode – at six and five and just tenth in the conference rankings.

This was closer to the former Kansas City however, with a first close victory of the season after dropping five previously – they won 11 of them last year so, if that belief returns, this Chiefs Kingdom may not be done just yet.

Discussion – Can Bears Be Kings of the North?

You can no longer ignore the Bears now. A victory over the Steelers, without Rodgers, kept them top of the division and at 8-3 – sharing the same standing as the Philadelphia.

They appear threatening on each side of the field, with a defense that leads the NFL in interceptions and overall takeaways and, in Williams, a young quarterback now accustomed to winning close games.

He can still be shaky, giving away a score after a turnover in his own end zone – but he also passed for three touchdowns and, with already five fourth-quarter comebacks this year, he knows how to finish the game.

Green Bay are in close chase 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 Gibbs.

The Bears are interestingly the most reliable with 8 victories in nine, but as they visit the Super Bowl champs on the holiday we'll discover just how good they truly are.

Preview – Thrilling Thanksgiving in Prospect

This looks one of the best Thanksgiving line-ups for a long time, with each game packed with postseason implications.

The Lions welcome the Packers in the traditional curtain-raiser in Michigan, prior to a rare trip back to Texas for the Kansas City, who started out life as the Texans long ago in the sixties before moving to Kansas City.

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

And how about the Baltimore Ravens? An ugly win over the New York in fact has them top of the AFC North after beginning one and five and appearing dead and buried.

Holiday and Shopping Day Games (all times GMT)

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

Will Shedeur Sanders Keep His Job?

Cleveland Browns coach Stefanski dismissed inquiries on whether Shedeur Sanders had done sufficiently in his first NFL outing to keep the starting position when Dillon Gabriel returns.

But the issue will continue to be raised as Shedeur became the first Cleveland quarterback to secure his debut NFL start since Eric Zeier in nineteen ninety-nine – with seventeen additional rookie quarterbacks failing to do so since.

It was just the Raiders, and with the help of an almost feral Cleveland defense getting 10 tackles, but Cleveland's offense needs a leader, a figurehead to inspire confidence.

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