Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson Carve Up Patriots as Vikings Bounce Back With 33-26 Win
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Four days ago, the Vikings were embarrassed on their home field, scoring a season-low 3 points in a 37-point drubbing at the hands of the Cowboys.
They talked about putting that game behind them and being ready to bounce back on a short week against another great defense. They talked about wanting to prove to the country, in a primetime holiday game, that they're so much better than they showed against Dallas. They talked about handling adversity the right way after their seven-game winning streak was ripped to shreds.
That's exactly what they did on Thanksgiving night.
Kirk Cousins was outstanding, throwing touchdown passes to three different players, Justin Jefferson was his usual dominant self, and a struggling defense stepped up on third downs in a 33-26 victory over a Patriots team that had given up just six points in its two previous games. In front of a raucous home crowd and a national television audience, the Vikings offered a reminder that they're a great team who is now 9-2 on the season.
This was a wildly entertaining game that featured five ties and seven lead changes. The two teams exchanged blows all night, but as they've done so often this season, the Vikings made more plays in the fourth quarter when they needed to. Entering the fourth trailing 26-23, the Vikings got a Greg Joseph field goal and a go-ahead Adam Thielen touchdown reception to take the lead for good.
A Danielle Hunter sack on third down with just over two minutes left forced the Patriots into a difficult fourth and long, which they couldn't convert. Mac Jones got the ball back with less than a minute left and no timeouts, and another sack — the first of Ross Blacklock's Vikings career — essentially ended any hopes they had of going the length of the field to tie the game. Those were two of just three sacks the Vikings had all night. They allowed the Patriots to rack up over 400 yards on 7.4 yards per play, but held them to 3 of 10 on third down, which was crucial.
Less than five minutes into the game, the Vikings had already exceeded their point total from Sunday's game. A strong opening drive resulted in a Jefferson touchdown catch to put the Vikings up 7-0. The Patriots responded with a quick touchdown drive of their own, and it was a thrilling back and forth battle from there.
This game had everything: controversial calls and reviews, a kickoff return touchdown, a near pick-six, big plays, dumb mistakes, and much more. Jones, who had been struggling this year, threw for 382 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover. Five different Patriots receivers had at least 60 yards. But it wasn't enough.
Cousins had a big day of his own, going 30 of 37 for 299 yards, three TDs, and one ugly interception. It was a huge game for a player often criticized for poor performances in primetime. Cousins' top target, as usual, was Jefferson, who racked up nine catches for 139 yards and a score after being held in check with the rest of the offense four days earlier. Jefferson broke Randy Moss's NFL record for receiving yards in a player's first three seasons and came down with several tough contested catches. He continues to stake his claim as the league's best receiver and one of its most valuable non-quarterbacks. Oh, and he also completed a pass in this game, the fourth of his young career.
Thielen added nine catches for 61 yards and the 52nd TD catch of his career, tying him with Anthony Carter for third in franchise history behind Cris Carter and Moss. T.J. Hockenson recorded the first TD grab of his Vikings career in his fourth game with Minnesota. Dalvin Cook couldn't get much going, totaling just 56 yards on 26 touches, but it didn't matter because Cousins was so sharp. Give credit to the Vikings Christian Darrisaw-less offensive line, which surrendered just one sack against a team that came into the game second in the league with 36. Kevin O'Connell's game plan and Cousins' decisiveness helped in that regard, too.
Greg Joseph missed an extra point in the first half, the fifth time he's done that this season. But he made both of his field goal tries, including a 36-yarder to tie it in the fourth. The Vikings' special teams made one of the biggest plays of the game when Kene Nwangwu responded to a Patriots TD with his first kickoff return touchdown of the season in the third quarter.
There will be plenty of debate about a play that happened on the ensuing drive, when Hunter Henry was ruled to have scored his second touchdown of the quarter but it was overturned after a long review. The Patriots helped the Vikings out with several unforced errors, including running into punter Ryan Wright to extend the drive on which the Vikings took the lead at 33-26.
This is the recipe for the Vikings. Lean on Cousins and Jefferson on offense and do just enough on defense. They've been good with timely sacks and takeaways all season, even if they didn't force any turnovers in this game. With Darrisaw, Dalvin Tomlinson, and a cornerback or two potentially returning from injury soon, the Vikings can feel pretty confident again heading into a Week 13 matchup with the Jets, right back at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The Vikings talked about responding to an embarrassing loss with a great performance. Then they went out and did it.
They're 9-2 and have a five-game lead in the NFC North with six weeks left.
Happy Thanksgiving.
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