Minnesota's Justin Jefferson sets a new NFL record for most receiving yards in a player's first three seasons, surpassing former Vikings Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss; the Vikings (9-2) back to winning ways after 40-3 drubbing by Dallas Cowboys last week
Friday 25 November 2022 08:01, UK
Kirk Cousins threw three touchdown passes, including the game-winning score to Adam Thielen in the fourth quarter, as the Minnesota Vikings beat the New England Patriots 33-26 on the final game of Thanksgiving Day in the US.
Cousins completed 30 of 37 throws for 299 yards (plus one interception, with Vikings (9-2) superstar receiver Justin Jefferson accounting for 139 of those, including catching one of Cousins' hat-trick of TD passes to cap the opening drive of the game.
With his 21st 100-yard outing in only 44 career games, Jefferson set a new NFL record for most receiving yards in a player's first three seasons, finishing the night with 4,248 to surpass former Vikings Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss' total of 4,163 set between 1998 and 2000.
Patriots QB Mac Jones went 28 of 39, passing for a career-high 382 yards and two scores but the Patriots (6-5) ran out of steam down the stretch. Their fourth quarter included two three-and-out punts, a turnover on downs at the Minnesota 39-yard line and a desperation last drive that went nowhere.
In a real back-and-forth contest for most of the game, Jones found tight end Hunter Henry for a wide-open 37-yard touchdown pass to start the second half - briefly securing the Patriots a 23-16 lead - but Kene Nwangwu answered right back with a stunning 97-yard kick-off return TD for Minnesota to again tie the game up.
Jones appeared to hit Henry for a second score late in the third quarter, but his twisting catch at the goal line that was initially called a touchdown on the field was reversed, with it ruled the ball had bobbled as he secured the catch, and New England had to settle for Nick Folk's fourth field goal of the game.
It would prove decisive, as the Patriots faded in the fourth quarter, shut out by the Vikings defense, while Thielen's score with nine and a half minutes to go nudged them out in front for good.
It sees Minnesota (9-2) back to winning ways after having suffered only a second defeat of the season - a 40-3 drubbing at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys - last week, and it gave their rookie head coach Kevin O'Connell a win over Bill Belichick, the same man who drafted him as a back-up quarterback to Tom Brady with the Patriots in 2008.
The Thanksgiving Week action continues with the usual triple-header of NFL action on Sunday night, kicking off with the Cincinnati Bengals (6-4) travelling to the Tennessee Titans (7-3) in a repeat of last year's divisional round playoff clash between the pair, which the Bengals won 19-16 on their way to the Super Bowl - watch live on Sky Sports NFL from 6pm.
After that, we head to the San Francisco 49ers (6-4), who are riding a three-game win streak into their home game against the struggling New Orleans Saints (4-7) - this one at Levi's Stadium gets under way at 9.25pm.
And rounding off the Sunday night action, we join our friends at NBC for Football Night in America and Sunday Night Football, with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers (4-7) absolutely desperate for a win to keep their fading playoff hopes alive as they travel to the NFC's best Philadelphia Eagles (9-1) - kick-off is at 1.20am, early on Monday morning.
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