The Eagles and Bills might have provided a potential Super Bowl preview with their thrilling overtime game on Sunday.
Obviously, that sentence sounds ridiculous considering the Bills dropped to 6–6 after losing 37–34 in Philadelphia, but they flashed their high potential in the back-and-forth battle. If only Gabe Davis turned to his right on his choice route, perhaps the Bills would have had a memorable walk-off victory in overtime. Now Buffalo’s season is on life support, with upcoming games against the Chiefs and Cowboys.
The Eagles became the first team to reach 10 wins this season. They started the long week with a come-from-behind road victory against the Chiefs on Monday Night Football. Kansas City quickly bounded back with a victory in Las Vegas to remind the doubters that the reigning champions will be in the mix once again for another Super Bowl title.
The Cowboys will also be right there, even though many football pundits don’t want to acknowledge how well they have played in the past month with a red-hot Dak Prescott. Neither Kenny Pickett nor Derek Carr have played well this season, but their respective teams remain in the hunt for a postseason spot for different reasons.
Here’s what we learned about the Chiefs, Cowboys, Saints and Steelers in Week 12 of the NFL season.
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Eagles, Bills battle in OT thriller
The Eagles continue to find ways to win games. They were far from perfect, but they stayed alive after Jake Elliott drilled a 59-yard field goal to tie the game with 20 seconds left in regulation before heading to overtime.
After the miscommunication between Josh Allen and Davis, the Eagles took advantage by marching down the field for the game-winning touchdown drive, capped off by Jalen Hurts’s 12-yard rushing score. It seems as if the Eagles have yet to reach their peak offensively, a scary observation for their competitors in the NFC.
As for the Bills, they’ll be dangerous in the AFC postseason if they’re able to stack wins with a brutal schedule. It’s clear that Buffalo is at its best when Davis is heavily involved, but he’ll be thinking about his incorrect route for days to come.
Allen threw a costly interception to help the Eagles get back in the game. Hurts found wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus for a 29-yard touchdown to take a 28–24 lead with 11:07 left in regulation. But Allen quickly answered with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Davis to retake the lead, 31–28, with 1:52 remaining. Allen was sensational, but once again, turnovers and miscues doom the Bills in 2023.
Chiefs overcome slow start against Raiders
The Chiefs had another slow start, but they ended with their best offensive performance in a month after defeating the Raiders, 31–17. Kansas City (8–3) leaned on running back Isiah Pacheco and rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice to erase an early 14–0 deficit. Who knows whether the Chiefs will ever regain their top form, but having a balanced attack with a stout defense might be enough for them to return to the Super Bowl. It’s not a surprise that most of the Chiefs’ wins this season have come with Pacheco and Rice leaving their imprint.
Kansas City’s defense, however, wasn’t at its best in Las Vegas. Josh Jacobs ran for 110 yards and scored a 63-yard rushing touchdown to extend the Raiders’ lead to 14–0. But you know a defense is playing well when 17 points allowed is a subpar day at the office. The Chiefs need more consistency offensively, but they’ll again be in the mix for the Super Bowl. No need to panic after starting the week with an ugly loss against the Eagles.
As for one note about the Raiders, Maxx Crosby had a gutsy performance playing on a bad knee, which might require surgery after the season, according to the TV broadcast. Crosby likely won’t consider it (he hates missing a defensive snap), but it might be wise for him to have surgery now with the Raiders falling to 5–7. The Raiders had to call a timeout in the fourth quarter to get Crosby off the field because he was in obvious pain. Not many players have the type of motor that Crosby plays with every week.
Carr could be one-and-done in New Orleans after costly pick-six
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For a stretch, it seemed the Saints were going to make the offense work with Taysom Hill taking a few snaps from Derek Carr. But that should have been the obvious red flag that this offense wasn’t going far in 2023. Imagine Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts or Joe Burrow losing a handful of snaps to the versatile tight end every game? That wouldn’t fly, because those quarterbacks are too valuable to remove from the field. Plain and simple, Carr hasn’t gotten the job done in New Orleans, and once again left Saints fans frustrated after an ugly 24–15 loss in Atlanta.
Carr threw a costly pick-six to Falcons safety Jessie Bates III, who had a 92-yard touchdown return in the first quarter. The Saints went from possibly having a 10–0 advantage to a 7–3 deficit. From there, it was an uphill battle for the offense most of the game. The Saints (5–6) can still win the NFC South because the Falcons likely won’t run away with the division with Desmond Ridder’s turnover issues. But it says plenty that Carr can’t help the Saints create separation in a division that also includes the one-win Panthers and inconsistent Buccaneers. New Orleans might be stuck with Carr for another season because he’s owed $30 million guaranteed in 2024, but it can at least start looking for another quarterback through the draft.
Prescott in a groove under McCarthy’s “Texas Coast” offense
It’s a bit strange that the Cowboys’ productive offense has gone under the radar when it comes to popular NFL storylines. But not many can take them seriously because of the mistake-filled loss against the Eagles and the lopsided defeat to the 49ers earlier this season. Dallas has a reputation of brief postseason appearances and struggling against the top teams in the league. But we can at least acknowledge how well the Cowboys have played offensively this season with coach Mike McCarthy calling the plays.
After McCarthy started featuring CeeDee Lamb more in his “Texas Coast” offense (which began in Week 6 vs. the Chargers), Dallas hasn’t looked back, with Prescott playing like an MVP candidate. Prescott torched the Commanders on Thanksgiving with 331 passing yards and four touchdowns to improve the Cowboys’ record to 8–3.
Perhaps this version of Prescott with a dynamic offensive weapon in Lamb and a stellar defense might be enough to finally get the Cowboys past the divisional round of the postseason for the first time since the ’90s. I’m sure many football fans will roll their eyes at that suggestion, but Prescott & Co. can turn more doubters into believers by beating the Seahawks, Eagles, Bills and Dolphins for their brutal upcoming four-game stretch.
Steelers show offensive improvements in win vs. Bengals
The Steelers finally surpassed 400 total yards in a game and outgained an opponent for the first time this season. Pittsburgh showed offensive improvements days after firing offensive coordinator Matt Canada. But the Steelers still had to sweat during their 16–10 victory against the Joe Burrow–less Bengals.
Pittsburgh took steps forward, but still has plenty of issues offensively, especially with wide receiver Diontae Johnson, who didn’t attempt to recover Jaylen Warren’s fumble. Johnson reportedly got into a “heated” argument with safety Minkah Fitzpatrick after the Steelers lost 13–10 to the Browns last week. The Steelers are going to need Johnson to buy in—which might be easier with the coaching changes—for them to make the postseason. But scoring 16 points or fewer in games won’t get them far, even if they do record more than 400 yards. It’s hard to underestimate a Mike Tomlin–led team with a stout defense, but Pittsburgh’s offense still has a long way to go to be a formidable unit.
