Jerry Jones reveals who saved the Cowboys’ season; Tom Brady’s Chip Kelly problem; more Week 12 thoughts

It took 19 minutes for the Cowboys defense to remember it doesn’t stink anymore. Once that happened, they shut down the Eagles and saved their season.

“If anything could go wrong, we had it happen to us, against one of the best teams there is,” said Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

He stood outside a jubilant home locker room in a royal blue suit, relieved that the last six weeks of the season had not been rendered meaningless. The Cowboys roared back from a 21-0 deficit Sunday and won, 24-21, on a last-second field goal.

“We came back from it and won the game when our backs were against the wall,” Jones said.

Their backs aren’t exactly clear of the wall, and they’ll be spotlighted for the next three weeks. They host a desperate Chiefs team Thanksgiving afternoon, visit Detroit on Thursday Night Football, then host Minnesota on Sunday Night Football.

Frankly, after their first two-game winning streak of the season, they seem up to it.

» READ MORE: Marcus Hayes: A championship team doesn’t give away wins. That’s exactly what the Eagles did at Dallas.

Dak Prescott threw for 354 yards and the receiving tandem of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens made unreal catches. But the 41-minute shutout the defense pitched gave the man who runs this 5-5-1 team real reason for hope.

“A balanced effort with a defense carrying things,” Jones said, and paused. “I wouldn’t have dreamed that could have come out of my mouth six weeks ago.”

Six weeks ago, Jones’ defense was the worst in the league. Not only had it been ravaged by short-and long-term injuries, it hadn’t recovered from the trade of edge rusher Micah Parsons to Green Bay just before the season began. That was a trade made necessary by Jones’ latest botched offseason contract talks, which also resulted in the crippling contracts of Prescott and Lamb.

» READ MORE: Jeff McLane: Whoever is captaining the Eagles offense — Nick Sirianni or Kevin Patullo — veered off course in loss to the Cowboys

Further fallout: Jones had to spend first- and second-round picks in a deadline trade for Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who went to the last three Pro Bowls. Williams, 27, is under contract through 2027, but the impact he’s made the last two weeks has been, to use Jones’ malaprop, “Incremental.”

We’ve covered Jerrah for 35 years. He meant “instrumental.” He continued:

“We had to have something at this level of excellence on run-stopping that he brought to the table.”

» READ MORE: Jeff McLane's Eagles grades: Nick Sirianni’s conservatism; offense’s complacency costs the Birds at Dallas

The Cowboys allowed 143.0 rushing yards per game before Williams arrived. They’ve allowed 100 yards, total, in the two games since.

Williams was relieved that, not only did the Cowboys win, but the most significant owner in the league credited him with the recent turnaround.

“This organization took a chance on me by trading for me,” Williams said. “The best I can do is give my all.”

The NFL last October allowed Tom Brady to purchase 5% of the Raiders. Brady was not required to leave his post as the top Fox Sports NFL broadcast analyst, despite the clear conflict of interest.

Brady has been instrumental in the hiring of staff, including retread head coach Pete Carroll and failed Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, the offensive coordinator who was fired Sunday after 11 games. The Raiders reportedly are on the hook for the remainder of Kelly’s three-year, $18 million contract, the amount it took to pry Kelly away from the coordinator job at Ohio State.

» READ MORE: Saquon Barkley thinks he’s ‘in a little funk’ as the Eagles fail to put a big lead away in Dallas

More evidence that Kelly — who also failed in San Francisco — might be able to manage lesser beings in the NCAA, but he clearly lacks the depth to coach the elite, independent athletes in the NFL. Also more evidence that Brady, who reportedly met with Kelly at least twice a week to discuss strategies, is unable to manage the roles he now fills.

The Raiders are 2-9 and also fired special teams coordinator Tom McMahon on Nov. 7.

It was the sort of win that would have made Shane Steichen the Coach of the Year favorite and would have earned Jonathan Taylor the sort of MVP buzz that fellow running back Saquon Barkley enjoyed last season.

Alas. The coaching award now looks destined for Mike Vrabel, who has resuscitated the Patriots (10-2).

Instead of winning at Kansas City and further diminishing that dynasty‘s postseason odds, the Colts blew a 20-9 lead and went three-and-out in their last four possessions, including one overtime drive, as the Chiefs avoided a losing record with a 23-20 win.

The Chiefs are 6-5 and still outside of the playoff picture due to tiebreakers. But in two weeks they play Houston, one of the teams ahead of them in the wild-card race.

Jahmyr Gibbs’ career-high 264 yards from scrimmage, including a 69-yard touchdown run on the first play of overtime, pushed the Lions past the Giants. Like the Chiefs, the Lions are on the outside of the playoff roster looking in, but they too play one of the teams in front of them when the Packers visit Thursday to begin the Thanksgiving slate of games.

Consider it stolen valor: Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Prime Time’s nepo-famous son, won his first game with a modest performance and stole the headlines from Cleveland’s defense, which recorded 10 sacks against the Raiders. … MVP favorite Drake Maye, whom Stephen A. Smith bizarrely called a “liar” for saying he doesn’t watch Smith’s ESPN morning show, First Take, led New England to its 10th win. He beat Joe Flacco and the Bengals, who plan to have franchise QB Joe Burrow back Thanksgiving night in Baltimore. Burrow has missed nine games with a toe injury, and the Bengals have now lost eight of them. Ja’Marr Chase was suspended for the game for spitting on Steelers corner Jalen Ramsey last week. … The Giants, who fired head coach Brian Daboll on Nov. 10, on Monday fired defensive coordinator Shane Bowen after they blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter for the fifth time. They lost to the Lions in overtime and fell to 2-10. … The Ravens are back atop the AFC North after a fifth straight win, the last four under the helm of Lamar Jackson, who’d missed three games with a hamstring injury.