Patriots Thanksgiving Weekend: Who New England Roots For in Week 12?
To beat the Minnesota Vikings on Thanksgiving night, the New England Patriots could have used some help from various folks including tight end Hunter Henry, the referees or anyone willing to cover Justin Jefferson.
To climb back into the AFC playoff hunt, they'll need an assist Sunday from other teams.
Thanks to their gut-wrenching loss in Minneapolis, the 6-5 Patriots are 8th in the AFC playoff standings. Before Sunday's kickoffs they're a Wild Card team. And with four of their last six games - starting with a home date with the Buffalo Bills Thursday night at Gillette Stadium - against AFC playoff contenders, they still have a strong say in their final 2022 destination.
Just the same, New England could sit on the couch and improve its position with these outcomes:
Tennessee Titans over Cincinnati Bengals - With a loss, the Wild-Card hunting Bengals would join the Pats at 6-5 with a key Christmas Eve meeting in Foxboro looming.
Houston Texans over Miami Dolphins - This ain't happening, but we can dream. If New England has any hope of catching the AFC East-leading Dolphins, 7-3 Miami has to lose a game it's supposed to win somewhere along the line.
Chicago Bears over New York Jets - The desperate Jets are starting a new quarterback (Mike White over Zach Wilson), so anything is possible. New England holds the tiebreaker over New York, which would fall to 6-5 with a loss.
Arizona Cardinals over Los Angeles Chargers - With a win, L.A. would move into a 6-5 tie with New England.
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