Shedeur Sanders wins 1st Browns start, Dallas stuns Philly with big comeback and Chiefs stay alive: NFL Week 12 Sunday wrap
By Ben Church, CNN
(CNN) — It was yet another fascinating Sunday in the NFL, one which saw stunning comebacks and new faces come to the fore.
With the playoffs slowly approaching, there is little time to waste as teams jostle for a place in the postseason.
With so much at stake, here are three things you need to know from Sunday’s stellar action in Week 12.
Shedeur Sanders makes winning start
Any fears that Shedeur Sanders would struggle in his first start for the Cleveland Browns appear to have been tempered after an influential performance in his team’s 24-10 win over the floundering Las Vegas Raiders.
The rookie quarterback, son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, made some big plays to help his team beat the Raiders, snapping a 17-game losing streak by QBs making their first start for the Browns; the last rookie signal-caller who won their debut with Cleveland was Eric Zeier way back in 1995, according to the franchise.
In truth, the Browns defense produced the goods to take the pressure off the 23-year-old rookie, who threw 11-of-20 for 209 yards, a touchdown and an interception while his famous dad watched on from the stands.
It was definitely an improvement on Sanders’ debut last week when he checked in for an injured Dillon Gabriel. The youngster’s first NFL game was a forgettable one, throwing 4-of-16 for 47 yards and a pick in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
But asked whether he was nervous before making his first start on Sunday, the fifth-round draft pick was emphatic in his response.
“I’m not gonna lie, I felt very relaxed. Very relaxed. And half of that comes from preparing, studying and knowing I got God on my side,” he said, per the Associated Press.
“So throughout all that, I had no worries. I didn’t feel nervous or anything before the game.”
It’s not yet clear whether Sanders will start the Browns’ next game against the San Francisco 49ers, but he certainly hasn’t hurt his chances with his solid display.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said he was happy with what he saw from Sanders, adding that there are always things for rookies to learn, but that he wouldn’t make a decision yet on his starting QB.
“I’m not going to get into that. Proud of him and proud of this offense,” Stefanski said in response to a reporter’s question. “There are a ton of things to learn from, but I’m just going to worry about today.”
But Sanders, who has had to be content with a backup role so far this year, is just happy he was able to prove some people wrong.
“A lot of people wanted to see me fail, and it ain’t going to happen,” Sanders said. “It ain’t going to happen.”
Cowboys field goal secures huge comeback win
Even the most ardent Dallas fan would have struggled to see a way back for the team after the team went 21-0 down to the Eagles after barely 18 minutes of Sunday’s game.
But, inspired by a brilliant Dak Prescott, the Cowboys not only avoided humiliation but came back to beat Philadelphia 24-21 in a thriller.
The star quarterback threw 23-of-36 for 354 yards and two touchdowns on the day and ran for the tying score early in the fourth quarter as the Dallas scrambled back into the contest. Prescott then led the drive which was capped off by Brandon Aubrey’s game-winning field goal as time expired against the defending Super Bowl champions.
While the Cowboys’ playoff hopes still dangle by a thread, Prescott says the dramatic and gritty manner of Sunday’s win bodes well for the rest of the season.
“A game like this is all about confidence and belief in one another,” Prescott said.
“When you’re down 21-0 early like that to one of the best teams in the league, defending Super Bowl champion, (you) keep your resilience high and stay focused and understand that you’ve got a chance.”
It was also an historic day for Prescott himself, with the 32-year-old breaking Tony Romo’s franchise record for passing yards, according to AP. The quarterback threw for 354 yards against the Eagles, taking his tally to 34,378 for the Cowboys.
For Dallas coach Brian Schottenheimer, Prescott’s TD throw to George Pickens just before the end of the first half was essential in shifting the momentum, and it was then the Eagles who started making mistakes late in the game, including Saquon Barkley’s first fumble of the season.
“You’ve heard me say it a thousand times. You can’t win the game in the first quarter, second, third, but you can win the game in the fourth quarter,” Schottenheimer said.
“I told them, ‘Believe. Believe in each other and believe in the fact that we’ll find a way to do it.’”
Despite the loss, the Eagles are still in firm control of the NFC East which leaves the Cowboys hoping for a wild card into the playoffs. Dallas currently has a 10% chance of making the postseason, according to the NFL, and its next game comes against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday.
Kansas City rallies to snap losing streak
Elsewhere, the Chiefs almost completed an unwanted hat-trick on Sunday, but instead snapped a two-game losing streak after coming from behind to beat the Indianapolis Colts.
The Chiefs found themselves 11 points down in the fourth quarter but somehow managed to secure a 23-20 overtime win.
Despite coming up clutch in the final moments, the Chiefs have the Colts to thank for folding under pressure. Indy went three-and-out in its final four drives which opened the door for Patrick Mahomes to lead the Chiefs back down the field.
The last drive in OT teed up Harrison Butker to convert a 27-yard field goal to secure the victory.
“Credit to Kansas City. They did a great job,” Colts coach Shane Steichen said after the game. “But we’ve got to do a better job. I’ve got to be better.”
A disappointed Steichen might well have been referencing the decision to stop giving the ball to Jonathan Taylor in the final plays, putting the game in the hands of QB Daniel Jones instead.
Taylor has had a brilliant season to date – leading the league in rushing yards and touchdowns – but the running back was kept in check by the Chiefs. The 26-year-old had 16 carries for just 58 yards, his second-lowest output this season.
Jones, meanwhile, struggled to deal with the Kansas City pressure and finished with a season-low 181 yards and two touchdowns.
Steichen, though, will hope the loss is just a minor blip, with Colts leading the AFC South by one game over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs got back to winning ways to keep their ambitions of reaching the playoffs alive.
“The part I liked the best was the support the guys gave each other,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “Nobody flinched. Nobody was hanging their head. It wasn’t happening. They came out and they played, and they did it when it counted.”
Full Sunday Week 12 scores
Away @ home (winners in bold)
Indianapolis Colts 20-23 (OT) Kansas City Chiefs
Seattle Seahawks 30-24 Tennessee Titans
Minnesota Vikings 6-23 Green Bay Packers
New York Jets 10-23 Baltimore Ravens
New York Giants 27-34 (OT) Detroit Lions
Pittsburgh Steelers 28-31 Chicago Bears
New England Patriots 26-20 Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns 24-10 Las Vegas Raiders
Jacksonville Jaguars 27-24 (OT) Arizona Cardinals
Philadelphia Eagles 21-24 Dallas Cowboys
Atlanta Falcons 24-10 New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-34 Los Angeles Rams
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