NFL week 12 review & results: Eagles beat Bills in thriller, Belichick in trouble after Patriots lose
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NFL 2023 regular season |
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Dates: 7 September 2023 - 7 January 2024 |
BBC coverage: Listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sport website every Sunday. |
The Philadelphia Eagles showed why they are the toughest team to beat in the NFL as they came from behind yet again to pip the Buffalo Bills 37-34.
Quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen produced two of the outstanding displays of the season in an overtime classic.
And it was Hurts who made the decisive contribution as Philadelphia became the first team to win 10 games this season.
Patrick Mahomes led the Kansas City Chiefs as they came from behind to beat the Las Vegas Raiders, while the Jacksonville Jaguars joined the Super Bowl champions on 8-3 with victory over the Houston Texans.
Things went from bad to worse for Bill Belichick as the New England Patriots lost again after a late missed kick against the New York Giants left them as the second-worst team in the NFL, with their worst record for 30 years.
Hurts breaks Bills hearts in overtime
The Eagles have now been behind at half-time in their past four games, but have won them all - with the latest victory coming after a fourth-quarter burst from Hurts and a big 59-yard kick from Jake Elliott 20 seconds from the end forced overtime.
Buffalo dominated for the majority of the game with Allen playing out of his skin - but his one interception proved crucial as Hurts turned it into the second of two quick scores that turned the game in their favour.
Allen also missed a throw into the end zone that could have won the game - and for all his brilliance, he now has an 0-6 record in overtime games. At 6-6, the Bills are up against it - especially as they next visit the Chiefs after a bye.
Josh Allen had an incredible game but still has not managed to win an overtime game
"By any means we will find a way, that's just the mentality we have," said Hurts after a win that encapsulates Philadelphia's season - not always firing, while making plenty of mistakes, but nearly always finding a way to win.
That mentality will be tested next week as they face a showdown with the San Francisco 49ers.
The Chiefs fell 14-0 behind at the Las Vegas Raiders but came roaring back to a 31-17 victory in the stadium that will host the Super Bowl in February. Mahomes and his side will hope that's a good sign.
To get back to Vegas for the big game, though, the Chiefs will likely have to go through the Baltimore Ravens, who own the AFC's best record at 9-3 after they took care of the Los Angeles Chargers 20-10 in the late game.
Bad to worse for Belichick
There's no respite for Bill Belichick, whose once-mighty Patriots now have the league's second-worst record at 2-9 after kicker Chad Ryland missed a simple 35-yard field goal at the finish - handing the New York Giants just their fourth win of the season with a turgid 10-7 victory.
Belichick again had to bench starting quarterback Mac Jones during a game after two first-half interceptions, and replacement Bailey Zappe was not that much better as they got outplayed by undrafted Giants rookie Tommy Devito, who famously still lives at home with his parents.
With the season gone and the team in disarray, the Patriots will already be looking at next season, but whether the man who led them to their six Super Bowl titles is still the man for the job is the huge question owner Robert Kraft has to answer.
What makes it especially difficult is the fact Belichick has so much control of the team - he is also the general manager so is in charge of recruitment as well as coaching. But with so much work to do, the Patriots look unlikely at this stage to trust him with either next season.
Jaguars challenging for AFC top spot
Trevor Lawrence (L) and CJ Stroud (R) could be rivals for years
With seven straight one-score games, the Houston Texans are always a good watch, but they were on the wrong end of one as Matt Amendola's late kick hit the crossbar to give the Jacksonville Jaguars a 24-21 victory.
Rookie CJ Stroud was excellent again with three total touchdowns for Houston but Trevor Lawrence just about got the job done as the Jaguars earned a vital win against their divisional rivals and moved to 8-3 to sit right in among the race for top seeds in the AFC.
With 304 yards, two passing touchdowns and one rushing score, Stroud is still putting together one of the great rookie seasons, but at 6-5 the Texans dropped to third in the division, just outside the play-off places.
The Indianapolis Colts moved above Houston in the AFC South after a 27-20 success over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made it three wins in a row - with former rushing champion Jonathan Taylor scoring twice as he starts to find his best form just in time for a play-off push.
Steelers get a spring in their step
Just a few days after the Pittsburgh Steelers fired their offensive co-ordinator Matt Canada following some lukewarm displays this season, they promptly had their first 400-yard game for more than three years in their 16-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals.
The Steelers had not made a big coaching change like that during a season since 1941, and they still had to lean on TJ Watt and the defence after failing to turn all those yards into points - but at 7-4, they will be a threat if they can get more production and points on the board.
TJ Watt led the Pittsburgh defence again
With Joe Burrow lost for the season, Jake Browning became the 50th quarterback to start a game in the NFL this season and he did throw a touchdown, but was also sacked four times - and without a run game to speak of, it is hard to see the Bengals making the play-offs from here.
The Cleveland Browns also have quarterback problems but they are still in the play-off hunt despite a 29-12 defeat to the red-hot Denver Broncos, who have now won five in a row after starting the season 1-5 to power into play-off contention.
Elsewhere, the Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints 24-15, the Tennessee Titans were 17-10 winners over the Carolina Panthers and the Los Angeles Rams comprehensively beat the Arizona Cardinals 37-14.
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