🔗 Share this article

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

Playoff Patrick Mahomes arrived to rescue the Chiefs' campaign as the Chicago Bears continue to impress as they extend their winning streak.

Did Shedeur Sanders perform sufficiently on his first NFL outing to earn the starting role in Ohio?

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

Analysis – Cowboys Comeback or Philly Fail?

The Cowboys found themselves down and out at 21-0 behind against the defending Super Bowl champions, so how on earth did they produce their joint-best comeback in history?

Sentiment of a first home fixture since a teammate’s tragic death may have been a factor, but technically it was a mixture of Dak Prescott resolve and a defensive unit that cashed in on rare errors by the Philadelphia.

Prescott surpassed Tony Romo records for yards thrown (now thirty-four thousand three hundred seventy-eight) and clutch drives (twenty-five) with an dynamic performance – his diving touchdown personifying his all-action showing.

Philly squandered a lead of twenty-one points or more for the initial time since nineteen ninety-nine, with only their second game with several turnovers this season – the previous being a bad division defeat at the Giants.

Along with fourteen penalties for 96 yards, the offensive struggles that affected Jalen 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 one hundred fifty in the opening two quarters alone in Dallas.

However from the time Philadelphia went twenty-one to zero up their offence fell apart spectacularly – with four straight kicks, a failed field goal and then a turnover handing chance after chance to the Dallas.

The Eagles defense is brilliant, it really is, but an offense that's not surpassed twenty-one points in five of 7 games (three losses) is now a major concern, because the pieces are all there but it's simply not clicking.

Nick Sirianni approach is all about securing the key situations, the defence keeps them in it and what offense there is manages barely enough – if it can't even do that and now the composure and ball protection is failing, there could be trouble in the future.

Spotlight – Postseason Mahomes Appears Early to Save Chiefs

It wasn't as extreme, but the Chiefs’ 11-point recovery in the final period against a powerful Colts team was very impressive – and could have just saved their season.

How big was it? Well, the league’s advanced analytics now assign the Chiefs a 58% probability of making the postseason, whereas a loss on Sunday would have dropped that figure to twenty-eight percent.

No wonder the postseason version of Mahomes turned up, throwing for 235 yards in the latter half by itself and leading 3 scoring possessions in their final four series to win it in extra time.

A few big passes and swashbuckling runs are typical for Mahomes in the playoffs, but right now the Kansas City are in post-season form – at 6-5 and only tenth in the AFC standings.

This was more like the former Kansas City though, with a first one-score victory of the season after losing 5 already – they secured eleven of them the previous season so, if that confidence returns, this Kansas City faithful may not be done so soon.

Talking Point – Can Bears Become Kings of the Division?

You can no longer ignore the Chicago Bears any longer. A win over the Steelers, minus Aaron Rodgers, kept them top of the division and at 8-3 – sharing the same record as the Philadelphia.

They look threatening on both sides of the ball, with a defence that tops the league in picks and total turnovers and, in Caleb Williams, a emerging player now accustomed to winning tight games.

He can at times be inconsistent, giving away a touchdown after a turnover in his own end zone – but he additionally passed for 3 scores and, with already five final period comebacks this year, he knows how to finish the game.

The Green Bay Packers are in hot pursuit in the NFC North after overpowering the Minnesota and the Lions are right there after overcoming the Giants in extra time with a huge game from Gibbs.

Chicago are strangely the most consistent with 8 wins in 9, but as they travel to the championship winners on the holiday we'll discover just how good they really are.

Preview – Thrilling Thanksgiving in Prospect

It appears one of the best holiday schedules for a long time, with each game packed with playoff implications.

The Lions host the Green Bay in the classic opener in Michigan, before a unusual trip back to Dallas for the Chiefs, who began existence as the Texans way back in the sixties before relocating to Missouri.

Sunday's comeback kings are both holding on to postseason aspirations but have very little margin for mistakes – so this will have a post-season atmosphere.

And how about the Baltimore Ravens? An ugly win over the New York in fact has them top of the division after starting one and five and looking finished.

Holiday and Black Friday Games (all times GMT)

• Thursday, 27 November: Packers @ Lions (18:00)
• Thursday, 27 November: Chiefs @ Dallas Cowboys (21:30)
• Friday, 28 November: Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (1:20 AM)
• Friday, twenty-eight November: Chicago Bears @ Eagles (8:00 PM)

Can Sanders Retain His Starting Role?

Cleveland Browns coach Kevin Stefanski batted away inquiries on whether Sanders had performed enough in his debut NFL outing to maintain the first-team job when Gabriel returns.

But the question will continue to be asked as Sanders became the first Cleveland quarterback to secure his first league game since Eric Zeier in nineteen ninety-nine – with 17 other rookie signal callers unsuccessful to do so since.

It came only the Las Vegas, and with the help of an nearly aggressive Browns defence getting ten sacks, but the Browns’ offense needs a director, a figurehead to inspire belief.

Moreover confidence is something not missing in Sanders, who informed a network {