The Minnesota Vikings really needed to beat the Green Bay Packers last week at home. The 24-17 victory, their fifth win in seven games, put them as the top Wild Card team at 6-4-1 after a sluggish start. Now they have the tough task of going to Foxborough to face a New England Patriots team that has won seven of their past eight. The Pats are playing for a bye in the AFC playoffs. The Vikings are still in the race for the NFC North and are in a tight battle for a Wild Card berth: There are a couple of teams right behind at 6-5, so a loss to the Pats would make things even more intriguing. The Patriots are a perfect 5-0 at home this season.
How to Watch Vikings vs. Patriots: Week 13
Where: Foxborough, Massachusetts
Start: Sunday, Dec. 2, 4:25 p.m. ET
TV Network: FOX
Stream Online: Watch live with fuboTV
Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins got off to a rocky start, but he's found a groove as he tries to help the team hold on to a playoff spot. Cousins is one of three QBs (along with Drew Brees and Matt Ryan) with a 70-plus completion percentage, 3,000-plus passing yards, and a 100-plus rating. It doesn't hurt when he's throwing to Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. Thielen continued his sensational pace last week with 125 yards and a TD, giving him 1,138 receiving yards and eight TDs. Diggs has 790 yards and six TDs. The key for this offense is to get a balanced running attack from Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray. They are at their best when Cousins doesn't need to throw the ball 50 times. The defense played well against Aaron Rodgers, holding the Packers to 17 points. Danielle Hunter (11.5 sacks), Everson Griffen and the formidable Vikings pass rush need to get after Tom Brady.
Brady carved up the New York Jets last week, throwing for 283 yards and two TDs. The Patriots (8-3) are in a tight battle for a first-round bye with the Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans, and Pittsburgh Steelers. Brady became the all-time leader in passing yards, including the playoffs, when he passed Peyton Manning last week with 79,416. Rookie running back Sony Michel, now healthy, ran for a career-high 133 yards. James White ranks third among NFL RBs with 67 catches. That duo is hard to stop. Safety Patrick Chung had a big game defensively with 13 tackles, and Stephon Gilmore had an INT. The Patriots are clicking. Everyone wants to talk about the Chiefs and Texans, but you can not overlook the Patriots, who always seem to be in Super Bowl contention.
