Why They Win: How Patriots Conquer Thanksgiving, Vikings
Ironically enough, the New England Patriots enter Thanksgiving having bagged a turkey.
Of course, the Patriots haven't had completely perfect strikes in the three consecutive victories that have thrust them back into the NFL playoff discussion. Fortunately for the Pats and a potential postseason streak, the College Football Playoff Committee is far from this conversation and the Patriots sit in the AFC's fifth spot on the Thanksgiving playoff bracket. They'll look to solidify their positioning during the holiday evening when they battle the NFC North-leading Minnesota Vikings.
New England provided a tasty special teams appetizer last week, topping the New York Jets 10-3 through an 84-yard run to glory on a punt return by Marcus Jones. While the Patriots' offense struggled to break through to the end zone, the defense limited the Jets to 103 yards and a mere six first downs. The team also secured its 14th consecutive victory over its division rivals.
While Minnesota enters with a healthy lead in the divisional discussion, the Vikings are coming off a 40-3 shellacking at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday. In the midst of seven takedowns of quarterback Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook ran for 72 yards on 11 carries in defeat.
What: New England Patriots (6-4) at Minnesota Vikings (8-2)
Where: U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN
When: 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC
Who's Won: New England leads series 9-4 (last: 24-10 NE, 12/2018)
Toss Up
Buried in the Patriots' (victorious) failure to reach the end zone last week was an encouraging outing from Mac Jones. New England moved the ball fairly well despite the lack of six-pointers and Jones posted his first triple-digit passer rating of the season. He also crossed the 200-yard plateau for the first time since Week 3.
"We won the game, and I think obviously we moved the ball pretty well today,” Jones, who completed 23-of-27 passes to set a new career-best in percentage, said. “I thought we stayed together as a unit, didn't lose our cool, and worked together.”
Jones will have a golden opportunity to work with on Sunday: Minnesota has let up an average of 309 passing yards over the last two weeks. They were able to mask the issues with four turnovers in the thrilling win over Buffalo (something the Patriots are no doubt thankful for) but when they failed to take anything away from the Cowboys, disaster ensued. If Jones can take care of the ball, Thursday could be a great opportunity for him to build momentum for a stretch where he'll face both a domestic and national-based spotlight.
Sack to the Future
Even fringe viewers of Patriots football can figure out that the modern edition's success stems primarily from a relentless pass rush. If the Vikings thought Micah Parsons and the Cowboys had deadly surprises in store for them ... remember, that was a team that blew a late two-possession to the woebegone Green Bay Packers ... Thursday could prove even deadlier.
With Matthew Judon and Deatrich Wise coming to town, the Vikings will be without their offensive line anchor Christian Darrisaw. The impact and potential terrors have not gone unnoticed by Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell, who no doubt found last week's offensive film scarier than any recent horror release.
"I think Judon is having one of the best defensive seasons going right now in our league," O'Connell told the team's official site. "When you turn on the tape, it's easy to see why (he's) incredibly talented, strong, and can win in so many different ways, and then how dialed in the rest of that group is."
Most Foxboro dinner tables will be long cleared by the time the Vikings get the ball on Thursday. But an opportunity to feast nonetheless lingers for the Patriots.
Rushin' Collusion
Another buried subplot in the offensive struggles last Sunday was Damien Harris' return to form. Though his season has been plagued by injuries and inconsistency, issues that might've cost him the top rushing responsibilities, the 65 yards he earned on eight carries helped the Patriots move the ball while Rhamondre Stevenson (26 yards on 15 carries) struggled.
Stevenson has been the Patriots' most consistent offensive weapon by far, but collaborating with Harris makes things even more intriguing on the offensive end. Both are able to contribute through both the air and ground and Harris' breakout, big-gain style is the perfect contrast to Stevenson's pounding tendencies.
Sound like anyone you know? Somewhere out there, Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard are nodding in approval as they prepare for their own Turkey Bowl.
If Harris can be a consistent contributor to cause, not just against the reeling Vikings but the road ahead that's paved with national television appearances, the Patriots could have "that one team you don't want to play in January" written all over them.
