The Vikings moved to 9-2 on the season after defeating the Patriots in the final game of the NFL’s Thanksgiving tripleheader, 33-26.
After being held to field goals in Week 11, both offenses wasted no time getting the end zone going this game. Minnesota needed just eight plays to go 80 yards for a touchdown on the opening drive of the night. New England then matched that score with one of their own as Mac Jones connected with Nelson Agholor for a 34-yard touchdown. From there, these offenses evenly matched throughout the first half and were tied at 16 at halftime.
New England opened the last half with a 75-yard touchdown run to go up by seven. It didn’t take long for Minnesota to get the game back even as Kene Nwangwu returned a punt 97 yards for a touchdown.
It was 26-all at the start of the fourth quarter, and that’s when the Vikings started to pull away. A penalty on New England for running into the kicker gave Minnesota new life on a third-and-four and they cashed in. Two plays after the penalty, Cousins completed a 36-yard pass to Justin Jefferson and then a 15-yard touchdown. to Adam Thielen to grab and hold the lead.
Kirk Cousins finished 30 of 37 for 299 yards with three scores and one interception. Justin Jefferson was his primary target and the star had 9 catches for 139 yards and a touchdown, breaking a record held by Randy Moss. Meanwhile, Mac Jones was 28-for-39 for a season-high 382 yards with a pair of TDs and no interceptions.
From there, the Patriots will head back to Foxborough and prepare for another Thursday night game as they host the Buffalo Bills for their first meeting of the season. As for the Vikings, they will be passing through US Bank Stadium and preparing for the New York Jets.