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New England Patriots: 5 observations from statement win over Vikings

By Tarringo Basile-vaughan

FOXBOROUGH, MA - DECEMBER 02: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots runs onto the field before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Gillette Stadium on December 2, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA - DECEMBER 02: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots runs onto the field before the game against the Minnesota Vikings at Gillette Stadium on December 2, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images) /
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New England Patriots
New England Patriots (Photo by Billie Weiss/Getty Images) /

The New England Patriots put together their best total effort of the season with a 24-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 13 of the NFL season.

It was going to take a good game on both sides of the football to defeat the Minnesota Vikings and the New England Patriots did just that.

With a nice balance of running and passing the ball on offense along with dominating defensive play, the Patriots extended their record to 9-3 with a statement win that could just carry them through the rest of December and into the playoffs.

Impressively, Tom Brady didn’t have to dominate for the team to win.  He was good, but the defense did such a great job limiting what Kirk Cousins and the defense were able to do that Brady and the offense just continued to be patient.

While Rob Gronkowski was quiet catching the ball, players like James White, Cordarrelle Patterson, James Develin and Josh Gordon stepped up to help extend drives and convert in the red area.

On defense, Stephon Gilmore and the secondary did a great job limiting Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen.  The defensive line did allow a couple of big runs, but overall, pressured Cousins enough to rattle him.

Needless to say, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was happy with the effort.

"“Well, that was a great team win by our guys today,” Belichick said following the game.  “I thought we really played hard.  Minnesota is obviously a good football team and they do a lot of things well.  They’re tough.  We had a good complementary game.  We covered kicks well, returned them well, had some field position there, moved the ball offensively.  Would like to score a few more points but, again, give them credit.  They’re a good defense.  I thought defensively we did a solid job.”"

Here are five observations from the 24-10 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 13.

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