For years, Bill Belichick has impressed upon the Patriots that actual soccer begins after Thanksgiving.
Well, now the clock is ticking. And after Thursday night time’s loss, it’s ticking just a little bit sooner.
The Vikings held off the Pats in a back-and-forth 33-26 thriller in Minneapolis on Thanksgiving night time, when 11 scores sparked both a tie or a lead change. Patriots quarterback Mac Jones threw for a career-high 382 yards and a pair touchdowns, however failed to finish two potential game-tying drives contained in the two-minute warning.
The first died with Jones taking a third-down sack at Minnesota’s 30-yard line after which firing a deep incompletion on fourth-and-16 with 1:54 remaining. After taking two timeouts and forcing a punt, the Patriots ultimately swung possession again, however a sack on their subsequent snap dropped Jones at his personal 2-yard line, and the clock ran out after a pair of completions.
Thursday’s loss snapped a three-game win streak for the Patriots (6-5), who entered having received 5 of their final six. They now face a essential house showdown with Buffalo subsequent Thursday that can considerably affect their playoff odds.
In Minnesota, quarterback Kirk Cousins put a dent in postseason plans by going 30-of-37 for 299 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. All-Pro huge receiver Justin Jefferson led all gamers with 9 catches for 139 yards and a rating. Vikings wideout Adam Thielen scored the game-winning landing, a 15-yard catch with 9:40 left.
Both offenses went no-huddle en path to a passing landing on their opening possessions. Jefferson snared a brief go and snuck throughout the objective line simply 4:20 into the sport, earlier than Jones discovered a wide-open Nelson Agholor down the seam for a 34-yard rating. After a commerce of three-and-outs, Pats cornerback Jonathan Jones picked off Cousins late within the first quarter to arrange a 34-yard Nick Folk subject objective.
The Vikings settled down instantly, coolly marching 72 yards to an identical subject objective whereas they zapped 7:59 off the clock. Thanks to an ensuing Marcus Jones kick return that reached midfield, the Pats answered with a 46-yard subject objective that hoisted them to a 13-10 lead. Yet Minnesota was unfazed.
Cousins commanded one other lengthy drive that completed with a 1-yard landing go to tight finish T.J. Hockenson off play-action. Armed with 1:30 left within the half, Jones hit Henry on a 22-yard checkdown and DeVante Parker on consecutive passes for 30 yards. But a first-down spike and second-down sack compelled the Patriots to take their closing timeout inside Minnesota’s 10-yard line with seconds left.
After an incomplete fade go to Kendrick Bourne, Folk kicked a tying subject objective, and the halftime scoreboard settled at 16-16.
The third quarter opened with prompt fireworks, as Henry scored on a 37-yard catch-and-run, and Minnesota’s Kene Nwangwu ripped off a 97-yard kick return landing with the assistance of a missed holding penalty that stored Kyle Dugger from protecting include. Officiating controversy continued into the following sequence.
Facing third-and-goal on the Vikings’ 6-yard line, Jones rifled a go left for Henry, who was working at out route. At the catch level, Henry held the ball throughout the objective line, however whereas he was tackled to the bottom, the underside of the ball contacted the turf and momentarily spun inside his loosened grasp. Then Henry instantly clutched the ball to his chest with a declared landing.
But Henry’s rating didn’t survive an prolonged evaluation, and Folk booted his fourth subject objective to steer 26-23. Early within the fourth quarter, Minnesota’s Greg Joseph kicked one other game-tying kick from 36 yards out, after Pats defensive again Myles Bryant slipped to permit an extended third-down conversion and dedicated a private foul to drop the Vikes contained in the crimson zone.
Play appeared able to settle right into a fourth-quarter wrestling match, because the Patriots punted and compelled Minnesota to growth it again to them. But as an alternative, rookie working again Pierre Strong the Vikings new life by roughing the punter, and Cousins seized on that second probability three performs later along with his clinching landing go to Thielen.
Trailing 33-26, the Patriots punted once more halfway by way of the quarter, then sealed a Minnesota three-and-out to realize possession again with 4:21 remaining. After a gap 14-yard throw to Bourne, Jones dumped a fast display screen to Stevenson, who raced 40 yards and carried the offense by way of midfield. But the Pats stalled out from there, undone by their chief fear getting into kickoff: go safety.
And regardless of an general optimistic efficiency from their offensive line, these two sacks now go away the Patriots going backwards within the AFC playoff image with six treasured video games to play.
Source: www.bostonherald.com