NFL The Final Word: Kansas City Chiefs prove why they are champions as Saquon Barkley mounts MVP case

The Kansas City Chiefs prove why they are champions as Saquon Barkley chases down history – Sky Sports NFL’s Neil Reynolds has his final say on Week 12 of the season…

People often joke that the NFL is scripted and all controlled by the league office… I think they are joking? You could not make this stuff up. If you took half the stuff that goes on in the NFL to a Hollywood scriptwriter, you would be laughed out of the office in seconds.

Week 12 was just another example of that…

Chiefs prove why they are champs

One of the close and wild wins saw the Kansas City Chiefs record a 30-27 victory over the Carolina Panthers in a game that was not supposed to be this close. The Panthers tied it up with 1.46 remaining on a Chuba Hubbard touchdown run and two-point conversion, but he left enough time for the magician that is Patrick Mahomes, who moved the Chiefs into field goal range with a very clever 33-yard scramble.

It looked like he might step out of bounds but he knew he had timeouts in his pockets and so cut back in after 10 yards, picked up another 23 and they were in field goal range. A few seconds later, Spencer Shrader kicked the 31-yarder to lift the Chiefs to an AFC-best 10-1 on the season. That is the eighth time this year they have won by one score. They find ways, Mahomes always delivers in those big moments and never seems to melt down, that is why they are back-to-back Super Bowl champions.

Washington heartbreak

Cowboys, Commanders, chaos. That’s what we had in Washington as Dallas snapped a five-game losing streak with a game that had so many big plays down the stretch. In the final three minutes and two seconds, there were four touchdowns, a field goal, a two-point conversion and a vital missed extra point from Austin Seibert, which was heartbreaking for Washington.

They rally late, they are down 27-17 with 2.49 remaining, Jayden Daniels gets them a field goal and then throws a stunning 86-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin, only for Seibert to miss his second extra point of the game. Absolute heartbreak for Jayden Daniels and the Commanders have now fallen to a third straight loss. Sometimes you cannot make up how an NFL Sunday will unfold.

Overtime drama in Chicago

You want more wild finishes? How about the one at Soldier Field then, where the Minnesota Vikings beat the Chicago Bears 30-27 in overtime on a 29-yard field goal from John Parker Romo. Minnesota led 27-16 with less than 30 seconds remaining, but Chicago scored a touchdown, converted the two-pointer, recovered an onside kick and landed a Cairo Santos field goal from 48 yards as time ran out. Chicago even had the ball first in overtime with a chance to win it, but couldn’t get it done. Sam Darnold throws for 90 yards on the game-winning drive and it’s the Vikings who move on with another win. It’s a win you can’t explain, it just happened.

The Lions are legit!

The Detroit Lions rolled onto a ninth straight victory on Sunday, becoming the first to reach 10 wins this season, quickly followed by the Chiefs. What was so impressive about this one is it wasn’t too much of Jared Goff, he threw four touchdown passes and had a perfect quarterback rating the week before but didn’t throw a single touchdown pass against Indianapolis. All three touchdowns came on the ground through Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, and this is just further evidence of a really good team that finds different ways to dominate and win each and every week. These Lions are for real.

Trouble in San Francisco

The Green Bay Packers absolutely put it on the San Francisco 49ers, winning 38-10 at Lambeau Field. This was supposed to be a crossroads game for the 49ers and a test of the Packers, but it was never a contest. The injuries that have hit the 49ers have hurt them badly, but it feels like the one of Brock Purdy their quarterback was the straw that broke the camel’s back with Brandon Allen not up to the job.

The 49ers could not handle Josh Jacobs, who time and time again forced his way downfield and forced missed tackles against a defense that lacked the intensity it normally prides itself on. This was a huge win for the Packers, but also a damning indictment of where the 49ers are.

Player of the Week – Saquon Barkley

Not since Adrian Peterson won the award in 2012 as the NFL’s MVP been won by anybody other than a quarterback, but Saquon Barkley could change that. He was brilliant in the 37-20 win over the Los Angeles Rams, carrying 26 times for 255 yards and scoring on runs of 70 and 72 yards. He added 47 yards through the air so had 302 scrimmage yards as the Eagles powered to a seventh win in a row.

Barkley has been the perfect addition to this team and is on pace for 2,151 rushing yards, which would break a record that has stood the test of time – Eric Dickerson’s mark of 2,105, set with the Rams in 1984. Barkley may get rested down the stretch, but that record is firmly in his sights if he doesn’t.

Play of the Week – Jameis Winston’s touchdown run

I’m going to the snow globe game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns. Winston filled our hearts with joy by putting it on the line, diving backwards into the end zone and seeing the communication system in his helmet break where he hit the ground so hard. It’s flailing around in front of his eyes as he throws the two-point conversion to David Njoku, but it kind of summed up Jameis in the snow. He played with a youthful exuberance and joy all night long in what was a thoroughly enjoyable game and a huge win for the Browns against the playoff-chasing Steelers.

Coach of the Week – Matt LaFleur, Green Bay Packers

Matt LaFleur had a great game plan against a team down on its knees. He controlled the clock, took away both sides of the ball, dominating both sides of the ball on the ground. He had Josh Jacobs getting the job done in the running game, wearing down that 49ers defense and eating up time of possession, which limited San Francisco’s opportunities. Then they shut down Christian McCaffrey, which makes it a Brandon Allen game – which wasn’t a game at all. He outcoached Kyle Shanahan on Sunday.

On my radar…

On my radar is that race for the final playoff spot in the AFC. I think it will go right down to the wire and be fiercely contested. It belongs to Denver right now and they are ahead of schedule under Sean Payton with Bo Nix at quarterback, doing way more than any of us could have expected this season. Miami still have to play the Jets, Browns and the struggling 49ers, but have a big game at Lambeau Field on Thanksgiving night. And don’t rule out the Colts, who will end their season with games against Jacksonville, Tennessee and the New York Giants, as well as playing Denver in mid-December. There will be a few more twists and turns between now and the end of Week 18.

Tune into Sky Sports NFL from 5pm on Thanksgiving Thursday ahead of the Detroit Lions against the Chicago Bears at 5.30pm, followed by the Dallas Cowboys against the New York Giants and the Miami Dolphins’ matchup with the Green Bay Packers. Stream with NOW.