Fresh off a dramatic victory over the New York Jets, the New England Patriots are looking for their fourth straight win on Thursday night when heading on the road for a Thanksgiving matchup with the Minnesota Vikings.
Tipico Sportsbook currently has them sitting as three-point underdogs against a Vikings team coming off an ugly 40-3 loss at home to the Dallas Cowboys. The expectations are that Minnesota will play angry and take out their frustrations on the visiting Patriots.
But they’ll have to survive a run-in with NFL sack leader Matthew Judon and the vaunted Patriots defense to do so.
There’s also the fact that Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins typically struggles in primetime games. The Patriots will be looking to turn up the heat in the pocket to disrupt the timing Cousins has with the seemingly infinite number of receiving weapons in Minnesota.
We caught up with Vikings Wire’s managing editor Tyler Forness to get his thoughts on the matchup in this week’s edition of Behind Enemy Lines.
1
How much will Christian Darrisaw’s absence impact the Vikings’ offensive line?
It depends how Kevin O’Connell will adjust to his absence. Against the Dallas Cowboys, the Vikings didn’t make any adjustments to counter the Cowboys’ dominant pass rush.
They should have tried some shorter route concepts, chipping the edges and max protect plays, but they didn’t do any of that. With the Vikings about to face Matt Judon, there is a non-zero chance that it happens again and Blake Brandel will have his hands full.
2
Is there any more concern for the quick turnaround for a Thursday night game, especially after the way Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys went?
I don’t think so. The Vikings got extremely lucky in that they get both games on a short week at home which significantly reduces travel time and stress. One thing that coaches talk about after you get boat raced, the best thing for you is to get back out there right away. The Vikings don’t even have time to think about the game against the Cowboys because they had to jump right into installing the game plan.
3
TJ Hockenson was a major pick-up for the Vikings at the trade deadline. How good has he been in his limited time with the team, and do you expect him to be the prime candidate for targets if the Patriots try to take Justin Jefferson away?
Hockenson has been a tremendous addition for the Minnesota Vikings. He has been a good blocker and there has been an instant connection with Kirk Cousins. The biggest part of that addition has been with Jefferson.
Since the addition of Hockenson, Jefferson’s average depth of target has increased by nearly five full yards and the Vikings have been successful down the field. Once Hockenson and Cousins develop a good rapport, they will be dangerous, but they are just off by a smidge.
4
The Vikings’ secondary has dealt with a lot of injuries this season. But then again, the Patriots haven’t been able to move the ball well consistently through the air. What’s your biggest concern—the defensive front slowing down the Patriots’ run game or the secondary holding up against the pass?
The secondary holding up is the biggest concern. Getting consistent pressure is what makes the Vikings’ defense click. If they don’t get to the quarterback, the defense isn’t built currently to play great coverage on the back end because they don’t have the horses to do so yet. As you mentioned, it does help that the Patriots don’t have a dynamic group of receivers. The Vikings do allow shallow routes consistently and they will force the Patriots to dink and dunk down the field.
5
The Patriots defense has been great at coming up with takeaways. How confident are you in Kirk Cousins to get over his primetime jitters and play mistake-free football?
His primetime jitters are mainly on Monday nights. Thursday and Sunday nights he has been pretty good overall. In fact, Cousins won his last two primetime games on Thursday night against his former team the Washington Commanders and Pittsburgh Steelers. I think he will be fine on Thursday night, especially coming off of a poor performance on Sunday.
6
Score preview/prediction
The Vikings are in a tough spot coming off of a brutal loss to the Cowboys. Even with their struggles, they still sit at 8-2 and in the driver’s seat for both the NFC North division and the number two seed in the NFC. The Vikings will be ready to go on Thursday night against the Patriots and the duo of Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter will feast on Mac Jones like a Thanksgiving turkey.
Prediction: Vikings 27, Patriots 17
