The New England Patriots (6-4) visit the Minnesota Vikings (8-2) on Thanksgiving Night Football (8:20pm).

The Patriots face the Vikings on Thanksgiving in primetime. The whole country will be watching. Too bad New England can’t field a better product!

After eleven weeks we all know what the 2022 version of the Patriots are: call them anything but contenders. HC Bill Belichick can still lead his team to a win on any given Sunday, but Thanksgiving is Thursday, and QB Mac Jones doesn’t stand a chance.

Not that the Vikings are worldbeaters, but the 8-2 record speaks for itself and includes quality wins over teams like the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins. It’s not just QB Kirk Cousins beating up on the woeful NFC North. The Patriots worthy defense will focus on shutting down the Cousins-Jefferson connection, but Dalvin Cook and company might prove too much to handle.

Last week’s action

Let’s start with the good news. The Patriots won! New England kept its edge against a New York team that has lost its way after a strong start to the season. The Patriots can be especially proud of their performance on defense and special teams. The defense held the Zach Wilson-led squad to 9 completions, 77 passing yards, no TDs, and zero points after halftime. Special teams won the game with an explosive 84-yard punt return by Marcus Jones that put his team ahead 10-3 with only 5 seconds left on the clock.

Without that miracle return, we were looking at an ugly overtime involving two offenses that could not find a way to score. You can blame the blustery wind – K Nick Folk was only 1 for 3 on field goals. But there’s no disguising the fact that the Patriots offense looked stuck in the mud, unable to string together scoring drives despite a strong performance by New England’s running backs, Stevenson and a reinvigorated Damien Harris, and efficient, if TD-less, production from QB Mac Jones (23/27, 246 yards, 0 TDs).

What we’re wondering

Can the offensive line rebound? OTs David Andrews and Isaiah Wynn left the Jets game with injuries. Andrews has been a reliable fixture on the line during a season in which the Patriots have struggled to protect Mac Jones. He had to be helped back to the locker room and he was obviously in great pain, so it’s a surprise to hear that he’s already back at practice. Still not a lock to play Thursday. It’s been an up and down season for Wynn, but New England can’t afford to lose anyone in this position group right now, given a relative lack of depth.

Does Damien Harris reclaim his 1a role? The Globe’s Chad Finn observed in a post-game wrap-up: “Didn’t it seem as if Harris actually had more touches than Stevenson? He didn’t — Harris had 10, and Stevenson had 21.” Harris looked explosive, and he was a lot more efficient than Stevenson. It probably doesn’t mean much more than a game script that benefited one running back over the other. Harris will be eased back, as his health allows, to reclaim his half of the running offense. Instead of first string and second string, or 1a and 1b, what we have here is more like a 1a and 1a. That’s why you stay away from this backfield in fantasy, if you have a choice.

What we’re watching for

The Matthew Judon Defensive-Player-of-the-Year campaign rolls on! The stellar linebacker clocked 1.5 sacks for a league-leading total of 13 sacks on the year. Vote him into the Pro Bowl already.

Are the Vikings vulnerable, or were the Cowboys just too good? Vikings QB Kirk Cousins takes heat around the league for being kind of a goof and an overachiever at his position. But he’s led his team to an 8-2 record this season, so it’s hard to say that one bad 40-3 loss to the Cowboys has “exposed” the Cousins Crew as frauds. Treat it as an outlier until it’s not.

For Boston Fans

WATCH: NBC / NBC Boston

LISTEN: 98.5 The Sports Hub

#humpFL #foreverNE #SKOL