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The twelfth week provided an epic Cowboys comeback, or was it an epic Philadelphia Eagles implosion?

Playoff Patrick Mahomes showed up to rescue the Chiefs' season while the Bears continue to surprise as they extend their winning run.

Did Shedeur Sanders perform enough on his first professional outing to secure the full-time job in Cleveland?

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

Analysis – Cowboys Comeback or Philly Fail?

Dallas were trailing badly at 21-0 behind versus the defending championship champions, so how on earth did they engineer their equal-largest recovery in history?

Sentiment of a initial home fixture since Marshawn Kneeland untimely passing could have been a factor, however it was a mixture of Prescott’s resolve and a defence that cashed in on rare mistakes by the Philadelphia.

Dak eclipsed Romo’s records for passing yards (now 34,378) and clutch possessions (twenty-five) with an dynamic performance – his plunging score embodying his energetic display.

Philly squandered a lead of 21 points or more for the first time since nineteen ninety-nine, with only their second game with multiple turnovers this year – the other being another disappointing NFC East loss at the New York.

Along with fourteen infractions for ninety-six yards, the offensive struggles that hit Hurts after what – for him – was an fast beginning was significant. He'd only thrown for over two hundred yards in 4 games prior to the weekend, he had more than one hundred fifty in the first half alone in Texas.

Yet from the time the Eagles went 21-0 up their offense fell apart spectacularly – with four consecutive kicks, a missed three-point attempt and then a fumble handing opportunity after chance to the Dallas.

Philadelphia’s defence is excellent, it really is, but an offense that's not surpassed twenty-one points in five of seven games (three losses) is now a major worry, as the components are all there but it's simply not clicking.

Nick Sirianni approach is all about winning the big situations, the defense 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 ball protection is breaking down, there could be trouble ahead.

In Focus – Postseason Mahomes Shows Up Early to Rescue Kansas City

It wasn’t quite as extreme, but the Chiefs’ 11-point comeback in the fourth quarter against a powerful Colts squad was very notable – and could have only saved their season.

How big was it? Well, the league’s advanced analytics now assign the Chiefs a fifty-eight percent chance of making the playoffs, when a loss on the weekend would have dropped that figure to twenty-eight percent.

It’s no surprise the playoff version of Mahomes arrived, throwing for two hundred thirty-five yards in the second half by itself and leading three scoring drives in their last 4 series to win it in extra time.

Some huge passes and daring scrambles are commonplace for Mahomes in the playoffs, but currently the Kansas City are in post-season form – at 6-5 and just tenth in the conference rankings.

This was closer to the old Chiefs however, with a initial close victory of the season after dropping five previously – they won eleven of them the previous season so, if that confidence returns, this Chiefs Kingdom may not be finished just yet.

Discussion – Are Chicago Be Rulers of the North?

You just can't ignore the Chicago Bears now. A victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, minus Aaron Rodgers, maintained them top of the division and at 8-3 – holding the same standing as the Eagles.

They appear dangerous on each side of the ball, with a defence that tops the NFL in interceptions and overall takeaways and, in Williams, a emerging quarterback now used to winning tight games.

He can still be inconsistent, giving away a score after a turnover in his team’s goal area – but he also threw three touchdowns and, with already 5 fourth-quarter comebacks this year, he knows how to get the job done.

The Green Bay Packers are in close pursuit in the NFC North after dominating the Minnesota and Detroit are right there after beating the Giants in extra time with a huge game from Gibbs.

The Bears are strangely the most consistent with eight wins in 9, but as they travel to the Super Bowl winners on the holiday we'll see just how good they really are.

Preview – Thrilling Holiday in Store

It appears among the best holiday line-ups for a long time, with each game packed with playoff implications.

The Lions host the Green Bay in the traditional curtain-raiser in Michigan, prior to a rare visit return to Dallas for the Chiefs, who began life as the Texans long ago in the sixties before moving to Kansas City.

The weekend’s comeback kings are both clinging to postseason hopes but have minimal margin for error – so this will have a playoff feel.

And how 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 Games (all times GMT)

• Thursday, 27 November: Green Bay Packers @ Detroit Lions (18:00)
• Thursday, 27 November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Cowboys (21:30)
• Friday, 28 November: Cincinnati Bengals @ Ravens (01:20)
• Friday, 28 November: Chicago Bears @ Eagles (8:00 PM)

Can Sanders Retain His Job?

Browns head coach Stefanski dismissed inquiries on whether Sanders had performed enough in his first professional start to maintain the first-team job when Dillon Gabriel comes back.

But the issue will keep being raised as Shedeur became the first Cleveland signal-caller to secure his first league game since Zeier in 1999 – with 17 other first-year signal callers unsuccessful to do so afterward.

It came just the Las Vegas, and with the help of an almost aggressive Cleveland defence recording ten tackles, but the Browns’ offense requires a leader, a presence to build confidence.

And self-belief is something not missing in Sanders, who told a CBS {