Vikings - Patriots

Another one-score game. The Minnesota Vikings defeated the New England Patriots on Thanksgiving Night. 33-26. The Vikings are 9-2 with a little extra time to get some players healthy for the final run of the season. 

When the NFL schedule was released in the spring, the three-game stretch of Buffalo, Dallas, New England felt like a season-definer. It would’ve been better if the middle wasn’t the shitshow that was played on Sunday but it’s nice to come out of that three-game stretch at 2-1. 

Playing a Bill Belichick-coached team is always difficult. This solid Patriots team has been led by it’s terrific defense. The offense has been the weak link. The strength of the Vikings defense is the edge rushing of Danielle Hunter and Za’Darius Smith. Belichick eliminated that strength with a quick-passing game that turned Mac Jones into something resembling a youthful Tom Brady. Jones had a career day in his 25-game career. Until the final couple Patriots possessions, the best thing that the Vikings did was limit Patriots possessions to field goals rather than touchdowns. 

The difference in this game can be found the box score of the kickers:

Greg Joseph

FG: 2/2

Extra Points: 3/4

Nick Folk

FG: 4/4

Extra Points: 2/2

If you’re trading field goals for touchdowns, the team settling for field goals usually loses. 

Speaking of kicking, Greg Joseph MUST STOP missing kicks. Last night’s missed extra point was his fifth of the season. The misses have yet to truly hurt the Vikings but it so easily could. 

The real difference in this game was the Vikings offense vs the really good Patriots defense. In particular, the difference in this game was Justin Jefferson. 

His stats are nice:

9 catches, 139 yards, and a TD (6 yds)

He even threw a pass to Adam Thielen for 11 yards. It was Jefferson’s second pass of the season. One of these games, he’s going to throw a scoring pass. I can feel it.

In two years and 11 games, Jefferson is truly stepping into greatness. His receiving yardage through two years and 11 games has never been matched. He’s doing things that have not been done before. He’s putting Jerry Rice records within reach. Of course, it’s too early to be thinking about those marks as Jefferson is only in the latter half of his third season. When the game flows through him, it’s beautiful to watch. 

As with most teams, the Patriots had no answer for Jefferson. Belichick strives to force opponents to play left-handed. There have been times when a Vikings team without Jefferson involved looked like they were playing no-handed. The Patriots clearly wanted that Vikings team. One without Jefferson making an impact. It didn’t work. When the Vikings needed a big play, Jefferson was there to make it. Even when the ball wasn’t going to him he was tilting the field. The Patriots devotion to stopping Jefferson helped open up Thielen for the game-winning touchdown. 

As for the Vikings defense, that was a problem. A modest Patriots offense repeatedly sailed up and down the field. A quick-passing game directed by Jones picked apart the Vikings defense. The short passes opened up occasional deeper throws. Jones threw for 364 yards. That was the bulk of their 409 yards. At least the Vikings defense did alright against the run. Then again, the Patriots only ran the ball 13 times. Why would they run it if the pickings were so easy through the air? The quick-passing negated the Vikings pass rush. It wasn’t until the Patriots final two possessions that the pass rush started hassling Jones. When he was forced to stand in the pocket and look down the field, Danielle Hunter, Za’Darius Smith, and company were able to make an impact. They damn near got a safety. The Vikings came into the game with limitations at cornerback. Injuries forced fourth corner Duke Shelley into the starting lineup. He actually faired better than Andrew Booth Jr. did against the Cowboys. Then again, the Patriots don’t attack corners in the same fashion as the Cowboys. I believe that the Patriots first score, 34-yard throw up the middle of the field to Nelson Agholor, came about because safety Camryn Bynum was shading too far over in order to help Shelley. This bend-but-don’t-break defense is alright but it’d sure be nice to not see offenses sail so easily through the Vikings defense. 

It wasn’t all bad for the Vikings defense. As in most games this season, they kept the score manageable. They forced the Patriots to settle for field goals rather than touchdowns. The Vikings defense also closed out the win with their best stands of the game. Moving forward, the defense needs to get their cornerbacks healthy. They need defensive lineman Dalvin Tomlinson. He’s missed the last four games and his absence has been sorely felt. He practiced this week so his return is near.

Special teams chipped in with some special plays. Kick returner Kene Nwangwu finally got loose. He returned a third quarter kick 97 yards for a much-needed score and momentum boost. Punter Ryan Wright has been terrific all season. A couple of his biggest plays didn’t involve his booting the ball. There was his throw on a fake punt earlier this season. Last night, he took a running into the kicker penalty to put the offense back on the field. The five-yard penalty gave the Vikings a first down. It jump-started a drive that ended in the touchdown that was the difference in the game. 

The Vikings are 9-2. That’s a sparkling record. With a mini-bye before their Week 13 game against the New York Jets, the Vikings have a much-needed break. It gives them time to get some players healthy. They desperately need left tackle Christian Darrisaw back in the lineup. They need Dalvin Tomlinson. They need their cornerbacks to get healthy. The Vikings should be in much better shape when the Jets come to Minneapolis.