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Week 12 delivered an epic Cowboys rally, or was it an massive Philadelphia Eagles implosion?

Postseason Patrick Mahomes showed up to rescue the Chiefs' campaign as the Chicago Bears continue to surprise as they extend their victorious run.

And did Sanders perform enough on his first NFL outing to earn the full-time job in Cleveland?

Let's take a look at the best of the week in the league.

Analysis – Dallas Rally or Philly Fail?

The Cowboys found themselves down and out at twenty-one to zero behind against the defending Super Bowl winners, so how on earth did they produce their joint-best recovery in history?

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

Dak eclipsed Tony Romo marks for yards thrown (now 34,378) and clutch drives (twenty-five) with an all-action display – his plunging touchdown embodying his energetic showing.

Philly squandered a advantage of twenty-one points or more for the first time after nineteen ninety-nine, with only their second game with multiple turnovers this year – the other being another bad NFC East loss at the Giants.

Along with 14 infractions for ninety-six yards, the attacking malaise that affected Hurts after what – for him – was an fast start was huge. He'd only passed for over two hundred yards in 4 games prior to the weekend, he had over 150 in the first half alone in Dallas.

However from the time Philadelphia went twenty-one to zero up their offense fell apart dramatically – with four straight kicks, a missed three-point attempt and then a turnover giving chance after chance to the Cowboys.

Philadelphia’s defence is excellent, it truly is, but an offense that's not eclipsed 21 points in 5 of 7 games (3 losses) is now a huge worry, because the components are all there but it's simply not working.

Nick Sirianni approach is all about winning the key moments, the defense maintains 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 ahead.

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

It wasn't as dramatic, but Kansas City's eleven-point comeback in the final period versus a strong Indianapolis team was very impressive – and could have just rescued their season.

How big was it? Indeed, the league’s Next Gen Stats now give the Kansas City a 58% probability of reaching the playoffs, when a loss on the weekend would have dropped that figure to twenty-eight percent.

No wonder the playoff version of Mahomes arrived, passing for 235 yards in the second half alone and leading 3 scoring drives in their final four possessions to seal it in overtime.

Some huge throws and daring scrambles are typical for Mahomes in the postseason, but currently the Kansas City are in playoff mode – at 6-5 and just 10th in the conference standings.

This was closer to the former Chiefs however, with a first one-score victory of the season after losing five already – they won 11 of them last year so, if that confidence returns, this Kansas City faithful might not be done just yet.

Talking Point – Can Bears Be Kings of the North?

You can no longer ignore the Bears now. A victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, minus Rodgers, kept them top of the NFC North and at 8-3 – sharing the same standing as the Eagles.

They appear threatening on both sides of the ball, with a defence that tops the NFL in interceptions and total turnovers and, in Williams, a emerging player now used to securing tight games.

He can still be inconsistent, surrendering a score after a fumble in his team’s end zone – but he also threw three touchdowns and, with already five final period rallies this year, he understands how to finish the game.

Green Bay are in hot pursuit in the NFC North after overpowering the Vikings and the Lions are right there after beating the New York in overtime with a huge game from Gibbs.

Chicago are strangely the most consistent with eight wins in 9, but as they visit the Super Bowl winners on Thanksgiving we'll discover just how strong they really are.

Preview – Thrilling Holiday in Store

It appears one of the most exciting Thanksgiving schedules for years, with each game packed with postseason consequences.

The Lions host the Packers in the classic opener in Michigan, prior to a unusual visit back to Dallas for the Kansas City, who started out life as the Texans long ago in the sixties before moving to Missouri.

The weekend’s rally kings are each clinging to playoff hopes but have very little margin for mistakes – so this will have a post-season feel.

What about the Baltimore Ravens? An unattractive victory over the New York in fact has them leading of the division after beginning one and five and appearing dead and buried.

Holiday and Shopping Day Fixtures (all times GMT)

• Thursday, 27 November: Green Bay Packers @ Lions (18:00)
• Thursday, 27 November: Kansas City Chiefs @ Cowboys (9:30 PM)
• Friday, 28 November: Bengals @ Baltimore Ravens (1:20 AM)
• Friday, twenty-eight November: Chicago Bears @ Philadelphia Eagles (8:00 PM)

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 first-team position when Gabriel comes back.

Yet the issue will keep being raised as Shedeur became the first Browns quarterback to secure his first league start since Zeier in nineteen ninety-nine – with seventeen additional first-year signal callers unsuccessful to do so since.

It came only the Las Vegas, and with the assistance of an nearly aggressive Browns defense recording ten sacks, but Cleveland's offense needs a director, a figurehead to build confidence.

Moreover self-belief is one thing not missing in Shedeur, who told a CBS {