The NFL is always full of surprises. On Sunday, we got a major one in Dallas.
The Cowboys entered Sunday on the periphery of the playoff picture, sitting 4-5-1 and still emotionally reeling from the tragic death of defensive end Marshawn Kneeland.
Playing at home for the first time since the loss of Kneeland, the Cowboys fell behind the Eagles 21–0 in the second quarter before putting forth a furious rally to win, 24–21, led by George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb combining for 13 catches, 221 yards and a touchdown.
For Dallas, the win keeps it in the hunt, with the Chiefs coming to AT&T Stadium on Thanksgiving for what is suddenly a critical matchup.
Speaking of Kansas City, the Chiefs appeared destined to miss the playoffs, down 20–9 in the fourth quarter after a red-zone turnover. Then, Kansas City rallied, winning 23–20 in overtime to avoid its third consecutive loss in a thrilling win at Arrowhead Stadium against the Colts.
Finally, the Bills lost to the Davis Mills–led Texans on Thursday night, and while Buffalo is almost sure to make the playoffs at 7–4, the team looks like anything but a Super Bowl contender.
But we’ll start with the Seahawks, who have a receiver on pace to make NFL history.
Good: JSN and his quest for 2,000 yards
Nobody has ever posted 2,000 receiving yards in a season. We’ve seen a few close calls, with Calvin Johnson and Cooper Kupp both crossing the 1,900-yard threshold in 2012 and ’21, respectively.
This season, we might see Jaxon Smith-Njigba make history. The Seahawks’ superstar came into Sunday’s game against the Titans with 1,146 yards before catching eight passes for 167 yards and two scores, giving him a total of 1,313 yards through 11 games. Currently, he’s averaging 119.3 yards per game, which, extrapolated over 17 weeks, would put him at 2,029 yards.
Seattle is also uniquely positioned to give Smith-Njigba a great chance at the record. Unlike so many other terrific receivers over the years, he’s really the only consistent option, albeit with the newly acquired Rashid Shaheed in the mix. But if anybody is in a good spot to make a run at the record, it’s Smith-Njigba.
Bad: Everyone who wanted the Chiefs out of the playoffs
Down 11 points and walking off the field after a Kareem Hunt fumble in the fourth quarter, Patrick Mahomes had to be thinking what everyone else thought: it’s over.
Then, the Chiefs furiously rallied, forcing four consecutive three-and-outs on defense while the offense scored on three-of-four possessions, accounting for 14 unanswered points in a 23–20 overtime win.
For Kansas City, there’s still a ton of work to do. The Chiefs are 6–5 and out of the playoff picture. They have losses to the Jaguars, Chargers and Broncos. They also have a short week ahead, visiting the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. But Kansas City also has games against the Raiders and Titans, along with home dates against Houston, Denver and the Chargers.
Despite being minus-two in the turnover department, the Chiefs beat the Colts because the defense allowed only 58 rushing yards to Jonathan Taylor. Meanwhile, Kansas City produced 494 yards on offense, including 352 from Mahomes and 102 from Hunt.
If the Chiefs reach the postseason for the 10th consecutive season, they’ll be extremely dangerous.
Ugly: J.J. McCarthy looks nothing like a franchise quarterback
The rest of Minnesota’s season is about the development of J.J. McCarthy. But the early returns are hideous.
McCarthy missed his entire rookie season with a torn meniscus, but started in Week 1 this year against Chicago. He led a fourth-quarter comeback, prompting many to praise his showing. Since then, he’s either been hurt or completely ineffective.
Starting with Week 2 against the Falcons, McCarthy has thrown for 786 yards on 5.6 yards per attempt. He’s tossed four touchdowns against nine interceptions while completing 52.5% of his passes.
At 4–7, the Vikings are out of the playoff picture. They could also be without left tackle Christian Darrisaw and rookie first-round guard Donovan Jackson, both of whom exited Sunday’s 23–6 loss to the Packers with injuries. Nothing is going to be easy for McCarthy, who also has to face playoff-contending teams in the Seahawks, Lions and Green Bay again down the stretch.
If coach Kevin O’Connell can get McCarthy right over the next month and a half, the season will still be worth something. If not, it leaves massive questions for Minnesota to answer this winter.
Good: Texans’ elite defense might save them
Houston appeared to be cooked. C.J. Stroud came off the field after a Week 9 loss to the Broncos concussed, his team at 3–5. The Texans needed to rely on Davis Mills for three weeks, including games against the Jaguars and Bills, two teams squarely in the playoff hunt.
While Mills has been fine, throwing five touchdowns against one interception, his all-world defense is the reason Houston is suddenly 6–5 and firmly in the hunt.
Entering Sunday, the Texans ranked first in yards (264.3) and points (16.5) allowed per game. The pass rush is astounding, with the combination of Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, who have 21.5 sacks between them. On Thursday, DeMeco Ryans’s unit hounded Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen all night, sacking him eight times and hitting him on 12 occasions.
While the Texans are suddenly rolling, they still have the Colts twice on the schedule, along with road games to play the Chiefs and Chargers in December. It won’t be easy, especially with an offense hellbent on punting.
Bad: The Lions won, but the defense can’t feel terrific about the effort
Detroit has to be ecstatic. It looked like the Lions were about to suffer a devastating home loss to the two-win Giants, who came into the game 0–6 on the road with an interim coach and their third quarterback.
Instead, the Lions won in overtime, tying the game with under a minute remaining on a 59-yard field goal, before getting the eventual game-winning touchdown on a 69-yard Jahmyr Gibbs run on the opening play of overtime.
Still, there are serious concerns. Detroit allowed 6.7 yards per play and 517 total yards. The defense couldn’t tackle Jameis Winston, a quarterback, who caught a 33-yard pass and rambled in for six points. Wan’Dale Robinson finished the day with 156 receiving yards, and had more than 100 in the first quarter. Against quality teams, that’s a recipe for a blowout defeat.
Still, the Lions are 7–4 and kept pace with the Bears and Packers in the NFC North. But if the defense, which allowed 27 points to the McCarthy-led Vikings, and 30 apiece to the Ravens and Chiefs, can’t get going, it’ll be tough sledding in the weeks ahead.
Ugly: Pittsburgh’s defense isn’t doing nearly enough to win
The Steelers went into Chicago knowing first place in the AFC North was on the line. The primary concern was being without Aaron Rodgers due to his wrist injury. As it turns out, the biggest worry should have been the defense.
While Mason Rudolph threw for 171 yards with a touchdown and an interception, the Steelers managed to score 28 points on the road against a 7–3 Bears team (one of the touchdowns was a fumble recovery by the defense in the end zone). Somehow, that output didn’t earn a victory, with the defense allowing 31 points despite creating two takeaways.
At 6–5, the Steelers are now tied with the streaking Ravens, who have won five consecutive games, atop the division. And while the teams still have both matchups against each other awaiting, Pittsburgh isn’t doing anything positive if this defense doesn’t get the job done.
Going into Sunday, the Steelers ranked 28th in yards allowed per game. They’re a more respectable 17th, with points, giving up 23.2 each week. That said, the offense is scoring at least 25 points in three of Pittsburgh’s last four defeats.
If things don’t change, the Steelers are not only going to miss the playoffs, they’re going to saddle Mike Tomlin with his first losing season in 19 years.
Good: Myles Garrett is positioning to break the sack record
The Browns won their third game of the season on Sunday. The story will be about Shedeur Sanders, who won his first start, throwing for 209 yards and a touchdown in a 24–10 win over the Raiders. Understandably so.
And yet the real headline is Myles Garrett, who continues to dominate in relative anonymity amid another lost season on the shores of Lake Erie.
Against the Raiders, Garrett notched three sacks of Geno Smith. Over the past four games, Garrett has 13 sacks, giving him 18 for the season. He needs just five more to break the single-season record, held by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt.
Garrett is a six-time All-Pro and Defensive Player of the Year. It would be stunning if neither of those totals doesn’t rise as a result of this season. He also has 120.5 career sacks, ranking 24th all-time. At 29 years old, it’s reasonable to believe he should, at minimum, end his career third in official sacks, trailing Kevin Greene by 39.5 sacks for that spot.
The only shame of it all is Garrett playing so brilliantly on a team that in his nine years has only two postseason appearances and one playoff win.
Bad: Trevor Lawrence might not be long for Jacksonville
The Jaguars are 7–4. They’re in the playoff picture. They’ve won two straight. And yet the concern around Trevor Lawrence is beyond significant.
Lawrence was a disaster against the Cardinals in Jacksonville’s 27–24 overtime win. He threw three interceptions and lost a fumble that was snatched out of the air and run in for a touchdown by rookie defensive tackle Walter Nolen III.
For the year, Lawrence has been a mess. He’s thrown 14 touchdowns against 11 interceptions while completing 59.7% of his attempts. The Jaguars primarily won despite Lawrence on Sunday, with the defense sacking Jacoby Brissett six times, hitting him 15 times, while allowing 4.3 yards per play.
If the Jaguars are going to make the playoffs, they’ll need to beat some good teams. Their schedule includes contests in Denver, as well as two against the Colts. Jacksonville won’t survive any of those games with Lawrence playing the way he has through 12 weeks.
Ugly: The Eagles have no offense to speak of
Philadelphia offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo won’t want to turn on local radio on Monday morning.
After taking a 21–0 lead over the Cowboys and their NFC-worst defense, Patullo and the Eagles seemed to lose themselves before eventually losing the game. Philadelphia scored touchdowns on its first three drives. After that, the Eagles had seven possessions (excluding a kneeldown) and didn’t score while gaining 148 yards on 4.7 yards per play before losing 24–21 on a last-second Brandon Aubrey field goal.
At this point, there’s little for the Eagles’ offense to hang its hat on. Jalen Hurts began the game 12-of-16 for 157 yards on those three scoring drives before going 15-of-23 for 132 yards the rest of the way. Saquon Barkley added nothing to the attack once again. He rushed for 22 yards on 10 carries and lost a key fourth-quarter fumble in Dallas territory, taking away potential points. For the season, Barkley has rushed for 684 yards on 3.6 yards per carry.
Philadelphia also muffed a punt inside its own 10-yard line and missed a field goal in the final quarter, giving the Cowboys every opportunity to do what they finally did: win.
At 8–3, the Eagles are going to win the NFC East. They’re still fighting for home-field advantage. But this loss has been a long time coming, as Philadelphia has flirted with disaster almost weekly. In Dallas, disaster finally struck, leaving the Eagles to evaluate everything about an offense that entered the game ranked 25th in yards per game and a middling 16th in points.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Good, Bad and Ugly, Week 12: Cowboys Pull off Epic Comeback Against Eagles.
