Key wins for the Chiefs, Cowboys, and Lions as the race to the playoffs heats up!
Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
This week of NFL action began with the Houston Texans defeating the Buffalo Bills on Thursday Night Football (TNF). On Sunday, there were another 12 games that took place, including the Sunday Night Football matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Most of the games on Sunday played out as they should have. There were not too many surprise results during the 12-game Sunday games, but the Dallas Cowboys earned a much-needed victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.
NFL Sunday Games Takeaways
Here are the key takeaways of all NFL Sunday games from Week 12 of the 2025-26 NFL season.
Big Fourth Quarter Leads to Chiefs Win Over Colts in Overtime
For the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era, the Kansas City Chiefs are in a situation where one loss could have severe ramifications for their chances at making the playoffs. Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts proved to be a tough test, given that the AFC South team is on a roll this season.
The Colts were in control of the game for the first three quarters, but a fourth-quarter comeback saw the Chiefs score 11 unanswered points to force overtime. The Chiefs’ defense then came up big, forcing the Colts to punt, and Mahomes made no mistake in marching the offense down to set up a game-winning field goal as KC won 23-20.
Mahomes did not have a single touchdown and threw one interception, but still finished the game with 352 passing yards, while Rashee Rice had 141 receiving yards. Daniel Jones had just 181 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Jonathan Taylor was held to 58 yards on the ground for the Colts.
Vikings in Big Trouble after Week 12 Loss to Packers
It was a crucial win for the Green Bay Packers and a devastating loss for the Minnesota Vikings. After the win on Sunday, Green Bay moves to 7-3-1 and remains hot on the heels of the Chicago Bears in the NFC North. As for Minnesota, the loss sends them to 4-7 on the season, with their playoff hopes taking a massive blow.
Running back Emmanuel Wilson had a big day for the Packers, finishing with 2 touchdowns and 107 rushing yards, while Green Bay’s defense came up with 5 sacks in the 23-6 win. J.J. McCarthy had a disappointing day, throwing 2 picks and completing just 12 of 19 passes for 87 yards for the Vikings.
Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown Have Huge Games in Lions Win Over Giants
Even though the Lions were going up against one of the league’s weaker teams, this win was crucial for Detroit. It was by no means an easy win as New York held a 20-17 lead going into the half.
Led by yet another dominant performance by Jahmyr Gibbs in the backfield, along with Amon-Ra St. Brown having a big game receiving, the Lions came back to score a touchdown in overtime to take a 34-27 win.
Gibbs finished with 219 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. St. Brown caught 9 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. For the Giants, Jameis Winston threw for 366 yards, 2 touchdowns, and an interception as Wan’Dale Robinson caught 9 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown.
Bears Overcome Steelers for Eighth Win of the Season
The Chicago Bears won their fourth straight game, and more importantly, retained control of the NFC North with their 31-28 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a key loss for the Steelers as they not only fell to 6-5 on the season, but also lost the top spot in the AFC North as the Ravens defeated the Jets to climb to 6-5 themselves.
Caleb Williams was impressive with a 239-yard passing game, which included 3 touchdowns for the Bears. DJ Moore had 64 yards and 2 touchdowns in the air. Missing Aaron Rodgers for the game, the Steelers were led by Mason Rudolph under center, but he could muster just 171 yards, one touchdown, and one interception against the Bears’ defense.
It was an all-around win for the Cowboys as Dak Prescott led an impressive come-from-behind win over the Eagles. Falling behind 21-0 at one point in the second quarter, Prescott finished the game with 354 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and a pick as the Cowboys rallied to a 24-21 win.
George Pickens had another standout performance, catching 9 balls for 146 yards and a touchdown for Dallas. As for Philadelphia, they failed to score a single point after starting the game red hot with three touchdowns before the half. Saquon Barkley was held to just 22 yards on 10 carries.
On the one side, the Rams’ offense came out flying in the first half, while at the other end, the Buccaneers were held in check by the dominant Rams’ defense. As exciting as the first half was, the second half turned into a dull back-and-forth contest that produced just 3 points for the Rams.
Eventually, Los Angeles improved to 9-2 on the season with a crushing 34-7 win over the Bucs. Matthew Stafford continued his stellar season, finishing the game with 273 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. Baker Mayfield had an awful day, completing just 9 of 19 passes for 41 yards, including 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. He also left the game early after suffering a shoulder injury. The Bucs are now 6-5 and have lost 3 in a row.
Here are all the results from Week 12 NFL Sunday games, including the SNF game between the Rams and the Buccaneers.
Matchup
Result
Kansas City Chiefs vs Indianapolis Colts
23-20
Tennessee Titans vs Seattle Seahawks
24-30
Green Bay Packers vs Minnesota Vikings
23-6
Baltimore Ravens vs New York Jets
23-10
Detroit Lions vs New York Giants
34-27
Chicago Bears vs Pittsburgh Steelers
31-28
Cincinnati Bengals vs New England Patriots
20-26
Las Vegas Raiders vs Cleveland Browns
10-24
Arizona Cardinals vs Jacksonville Jaguars
24-27
Dallas Cowboys vs Philadelphia Eagles
24-21
New Orleans Saints vs Atlanta Falcons
10-24
Los Angeles Rams vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
34-7
With that, we are now left with just the Monday Night Football (MNF) game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers before we bid adieu to Week 12 of the 2025-26 NFL season. Both teams are in playoff contention, making the 49ers vs Panthers MNF game worth a watch.
I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!
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