New England at Minnesota
You can call it luck, good fortune, or timely play, but the Vikings find ways to win games in the fourth quarter. Last night, they allowed New England to average 7.4 yards per play and score 26 points on 55 plays, yet they still won by seven. Minnesota is sneaky good in all the areas that matter most towards winning. They held the Patriots to three of 10 conversions on third down, while they were successful converting eight of their 15 third-down attempts, which allowed them to control the ball for 36:17 minutes of the game. They stopped the Patriots on all three third-down red zone attempts, including two on goal-to-go. On offense, the Vikings were successful on three of their five third-down attempts including their only third-and goal. Other reasons the Patriots lost: They allowed five first downs on penalties, surrendered a kickoff return for the touchdown and only ran 13 plays in the fourth quarter, resulting in just two first downs.
Can the Vikings continue to play this way and win? I have been hesitant to believe in their good fortune, especially since Kirk Cousins isn’t playing anywhere near his level of play from a year ago. Last year, he averaged 7.5 yards per passing attempt. This season, he is down to 6.7. Last year, he had a 5.9 TD percentage; this year, only 4.1. This year’s 2.2 interception percentage is far outpacing last year’s 1.2, and yet the Vikings are in first place ready to host a playoff game. I’m still skeptical.
As for New England, their season is on the line next week at home versus Buffalo, a team they have not forced to punt in two games. Things don’t look promising for the Pats. They have been too inconsistent, unable to stack good game after good game, and they make too many mistakes at critical times.