Philly Stumble in Texas & Patrick Saves Kansas City – Top Moments from National Football League Week 12

The twelfth week delivered an incredible Dallas Cowboys comeback, or perhaps an massive Eagles implosion?

Postseason Mahomes arrived to rescue the Chiefs' season while the Chicago Bears keep to surprise as they continue their winning streak.

And did Shedeur Sanders do enough on his first professional start to secure the full-time job in Cleveland?

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

The Breakdown – Cowboys Comeback or Philly Fail?

Dallas found themselves trailing badly at 21-0 behind against the defending championship winners, so how on earth did they produce their equal-largest recovery in history?

Sentiment of a first home game since a teammate’s tragic passing could have played a part, however it was a mixture of Prescott’s determination and a defence that cashed in on rare mistakes by the Philadelphia.

Dak surpassed Romo’s marks for yards thrown (now thirty-four thousand three hundred seventy-eight) and game-winning drives (twenty-five) with an all-action display – his plunging score embodying his all-action showing.

Philadelphia wasted a lead of twenty-one points or more for the first time after nineteen ninety-nine, with just their second game with multiple turnovers this season – the previous being a disappointing division defeat at the Giants.

In addition to fourteen penalties for ninety-six yards, the offensive struggles that affected Hurts after what – for him – was an explosive beginning was huge. He had only passed for 200-plus yards in four games before Sunday, he had more than 150 in the opening two quarters by himself in Dallas.

Yet from the time Philadelphia went 21-0 up their offence fell apart spectacularly – with four consecutive punts, a failed three-point attempt and then a fumble handing chance after chance to the Dallas.

Philadelphia’s defense is brilliant, it really is, but an offence that's not eclipsed twenty-one points in 5 of 7 games (3 losses) is now a huge worry, as the components are all there but it's simply not working.

Sirianni’s game is all about securing the big situations, the defense keeps them in it and what offense there is does barely sufficient – if it cannot even do that and now the composure and ball protection is failing, there may be problems in the future.

Spotlight – Playoff Patrick Appears Prematurely to Rescue Chiefs

It wasn’t quite as extreme, but the Chiefs’ 11-point comeback in the final period versus a powerful Colts squad was hugely impressive – and could have just rescued their campaign.

How significant was it? Well, the NFL's advanced analytics now give the Kansas City a fifty-eight percent chance of reaching the playoffs, whereas a defeat on Sunday would have dropped that figure to 28%.

No wonder the playoff form of Mahomes turned up, throwing for 235 yards in the latter half by itself and leading three point-scoring drives in their final 4 possessions to win it in overtime.

A few big passes and swashbuckling runs are commonplace for Patrick in the playoffs, but currently the Kansas City are in post-season mode – at 6-5 and only tenth in the conference rankings.

This was more like the old Chiefs however, with a first one-score victory of the year after losing five already – they secured 11 of them the previous season so, if that confidence returns, this Kansas City faithful might not be finished so soon.

Discussion – Can Bears Be Kings of the North?

You can no longer ignore the Chicago Bears any longer. A win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, minus Rodgers, kept them top of the NFC North and at 8-3 – holding the identical record as the Eagles.

They appear dangerous on both sides of the field, with a defense that leads the league in picks and overall takeaways and, in Caleb Williams, a young quarterback now accustomed to winning tight games.

He can still be inconsistent, giving away a touchdown after a turnover in his own end zone – but he additionally threw 3 touchdowns and, with already 5 fourth-quarter rallies this year, he understands how to finish the game.

Green Bay are in close chase in the NFC North after overpowering the Vikings and the Lions are right there after overcoming the Giants in overtime with a huge game from Jahmyr Gibbs.

Chicago are interestingly the most consistent with eight victories in nine, but as they travel to the championship champs on the holiday we'll see exactly how good they truly are.

Preview – Thrilling Holiday in Prospect

It appears one of the best holiday schedules for years, with every game packed with playoff implications.

The Lions welcome the Green Bay in the classic curtain-raiser in Detroit, before a unusual visit return to Dallas for the Kansas City, who began life as the Texans way back in the 1960s before moving to Missouri.

Sunday's comeback teams are both holding on to playoff aspirations but have minimal room for mistakes – so this will have a post-season atmosphere.

What about the Ravens? An ugly win over the Jets actually has them top of the division after starting one and five and appearing finished.

Thanksgiving and Shopping Day Fixtures (all times GMT)

  • Thursday, 27 November: Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions (6:00 PM)
  • Thursday, twenty-seven November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys (9:30 PM)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (01:20)
  • Friday, twenty-eight November: Chicago Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (20:00)

Can Sanders Retain His Starting Role?

Cleveland Browns coach Stefanski batted away inquiries on whether Shedeur Sanders had performed enough in his debut professional outing to keep the starting position when Dillon Gabriel comes back.

Yet the issue will continue to be raised as Sanders became the first Browns signal-caller to secure his first league start since Eric Zeier in 1999 – with 17 additional rookie signal callers unsuccessful to do so afterward.

It came only the Raiders, and with the assistance of an nearly aggressive Cleveland defense recording ten tackles, but Cleveland's offense needs a director, a figurehead to build belief.

And self-belief is one thing not lacking in Sanders, who informed a network {

Tyler Weiss
Tyler Weiss

A seasoned journalist with over 15 years of experience covering European politics and international relations, based in Berlin.

May 2026 Blog Roll

Popular Post