The Kansas City Chiefs had yet another late escape and the Dallas Cowboys ended their losing streak with a chaotic victory in week 12 of the NFL. The defending champions were pushed all the way by the Carolina Panthers before pulling out yet another late win to get to 10-1 for the season – alongside the Detroit Lions, who were a lot more dominant when beating the Indianapolis Colts. Complete chaos ensued in the final five minutes of the Cowboys’ frantic win at the Washington Commanders, while the Chicago Bears found another heartbreaking way to lose as the Minnesota Vikings triumphed in overtime.
The San Francisco 49ers suffered their worst defeat in six years at the Green Bay Packers, and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Los Angeles Rams to make it seven wins on the bounce. The Panthers put up far more of a fight than expected as they twice erased an 11-point deficit to draw level with Super Bowl champions the Chiefs inside the final two minutes. The Chiefs have been winning close games all season, though, and there was a sense of inevitability about Patrick Mahomes striding forward for a 33-yard run to set up Spencer Shrader for a winning field goal - and 30-27 victory - as time expired.
Amazingly, it was the fifth time the Chiefs have won a game on the final play this season, and they are the first team in NFL history to win eight of their first 11 games by seven points or less as they improved to a 10-1 record. "You want to have some blowouts,'' said Mahomes. "I would.