New England Patriots

Patriots keep pace in AFC playoff race with 24-10 win over Vikings

The Patriots maintained their hold on the No. 2 seed for the AFC playoffs.

Patriots running back Rex Burkhead jumps over Vikings defenders in the second quarter.

By Mark Dunphy and The Boston Globe

10 minutes to read

James Develin rushed for a pair of 1-yard touchdowns and Josh Gordon added another score as the Patriots defeated the Vikings, 24-10, on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

The Patriots improved to 9-3 and maintained their hold on the No. 2 seed for the AFC playoffs. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Raiders to retain their grip on the No. 1 seed.

The Vikings fell to 6-5-1, and became the third NFC North team to fall to the Patriots this season. The Lions were the only NFC North team to beat the Patriots this season, when the Patriots faced all four teams in the division.

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Patriots quarterback Tom Brady connected on 24 of 32 passes for 311 yards. Brady completed passes to nine receivers. He also ran for a first down in the first half that pushed his career rushing yardage to 1,000.

“Hopefully I don’t go backward next week,’’ Brady said. “It was good to get the win, that’s what I’m most excited about.’’

James White had seven receptions for 92 yards. Sony Michel rushed 17 times for 63 yards and caught one pass for 7.

“It was just a great win, they’re a good team,’’ Brady said. “Good defensively, obviously a lot of skill guys on offense. Just a hard-fought game. Good complementary football.’’

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Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 32 of 44 passes for 201 yards. He threw one touchdown pass and had two passes intercepted.

After the Vikings tied it at 10-10 in the third quarter, the Patriots pulled ahead 17-10 when Brady connected with Josh Gordon on a 24-yard touchdown pass play with 35 seconds left in the quarter.

The Patriots made it 24-10 early in the fourth quarter when Develin punched through the Vikings’ goal line defense for his second touchdown. The fullback’s 2-yard score capped a six play, 50-yard drive.

The Patriots scored on their first drive to take a 7-0 lead, and increased it to 10-0 on a 20-yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal in the second quarter.

The Vikings cut it to 10-7 just before halftime when Cousins hit Adam Thielen in the corner of the end zone with a 5-yard touchdown pass.

Below are updates as posted during the game.

Fourth quarter

FINAL — 

Patriots 24, Vikings 10

Patriots 24, Vikings 10 (0:21): Kirk Cousins threw his second interception of the game, a pass over the middle intended for Adam Theilen that was picked off by Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones. Tom Brady took over and took a knee as the Patriots moved to 9-3 on the season.

Patriots 24, Vikings 10 (0:48): The Patriots offense chewed three minutes, 35 seconds off the clock with an 11 play drive. Sony Michel, James Develin, and Rex Burkhead shouldered the load as New England moved downfield before the drive stalled at the Minnesota 35-yard line. Ryan Allen punted into the end zone.

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Patriots 24, Vikings 10 (4:41): Forty-four seconds after Hendricks’ interception, Patriots safety Duron Harmon scooped up a deflected Kirk Cousins deep ball in the end zone for a turnover of his own. Tom Brady and the New England offense started on their own 25-yard line after the touchback.

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Patriots 24, Vikings 10 (5:25): After a 3-yard Rex Burkhead rush, Tom Brady threw a pass intended for Julian Edelman. The football instead found linebacker Eric Hendricks, who made the interception on the Minnesota 45-yard line.

Patriots 24, Vikings 10 (6:58): Facing 4th and 11 at the New England 48-yard line, Kirk Cousins found Laquon Treadwell, who was quickly wrapped up by Stephon Gilmore to force the turnover on downs. Early in the Minnesota drive, Patriots defensive tackle Lawrence Guy stuffed Dalvin Cook on third down. The defensive line looked to have done the same to ? on 4th and inches, but the officials gave the Vikings the first down. Bill Belichick challenged the spot — which drew the ire of Vikings wide receiver Adam Theilen — and the call was upheld after review.

Patriots 24, Vikings 10 (10:54): James Develin punched through the Vikings’ goal line defense for his second touchdown of the afternoon. The fullback’s 2-yard score capped a six play, 50-yard drive highlighted by Josh Gordon’s involvement. First, the wide receiver drew a pass interference penalty for 20 yards, then Gordon picked up another 10 yards inside the red zone to set Develin up for the touchdown.

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Patriots 17, Vikings 10 (14:06): After an incompletion and short rush, Trey Flowers sacked Kirk Cousins for a 10-yard loss on 3rd and 5 to stall the Vikings drive. Julian Edelman returned the ensuing punt 23 yards to give Tom Brady excellent field position.

Third quarter

Patriots 17, Vikings 10 (0:35): 

On the first play of the Patriots drive, Josh Gordon caught his first pass of the game for a 24-yard gain. The wideout didn’t wait long for his second, reeling in another 24-yard completion two plays later for a touchdown. In between Gordon’s grabs, Tom Brady found Rob Gronkowski for 15 yards and handed off to James White for 12 more.

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Patriots 10, Vikings 10 (2:20): Dan Bailey tied the game with a 39-yard field goal.

The talking point on this Vikings drive came on a crucial 3rd and 5 at the New England 45-yard line, when Kirk Cousins fired a pass to Kyle Rudolph along the right sideline. Although Patriots safety Obi Melifonwu ripped the ball out of the tight end’s hands as the pair went out of bounds, the play was initially ruled a catch and the call stood after Bill Belichick threw his challenge flag.

Moments later, the Vikings wanted pass interference penalties on two throws into the end zone, but the officials did not oblige and Minnesota had to settle for three points.

Patriots 10, Vikings 7 (6:21): Stephen Gostkowski’s 48-yard field goal try sailed wide right after Tom Brady’s third down deep ball intended for Rob Gronkowski was knocked aside. On the second play of the drive, wide receiver Cordarelle Patterson reeled in a shoelace catch downfield for a 29-yard gain. Then Gronkowski was whistled for an offensive holding penalty, before Chris Hogan kept the drive alive by wrestling for two yards on 4th and 1.

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Patriots 10, Vikings 7 (12:54): The Vikings matched the Patriots with a three-and-out of their own. Adam Theilen did his best to prevent that outcome, laying out for what would have been a sensational diving grab over the top of the New England secondary. However, the ball slipped off his fingertips and the punt unit jogged onto the field.

Patriots 10, Vikings 7 (14:31): The Patriots went three-and-out on the opening drive of the second half. Tom Brady handed off to James White for a short gain on first down, then threw back-to-back incomplete passes intended for the running back. Punter Ryan Allen pushed the Vikings back to their own 17-yard line.

Second quarter

The Patriots led 10-7 entering the break. A few stats:

Total yards: NE 228, MIN 168

Plays: NE 33, MIN 27

Yards per play: NE 6.0, MIN 6.2

First downs: NE 12, MIN 10

Third down: NE 5-8, MIN 1-5

Penalties: NE 1-5, MIN 1-10

Tom Brady: 13-17, 172 yards, 108.0 rating

Kirk Cousins: 15-19, 109 yards, 1 TD, 108.1 rating

Patriots 10, Vikings 7 (0:00): 

On the final play of the drive, Tom Brady and James White padded their stats but could not change the scoreboard. Brady found White in space as the clock ran out, then watched the running back sprint 42 yards before the Vikings defense stopped him at the 11-yard line.

Patriots 10, Vikings 7 (0:15): Vikings star wide receiver Adam Theilen made his first mark on the game with seconds left in the half, catching a Kirk Cousins pass in the corner of the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown. The score capped a seven play, 74-yard drive that began with back-to-back completions of 23 and 24 yards respectively.

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Patriots 10, Vikings 0 (1:52): On the second play of the Patriots drive, Rob Gronkowski looked to have picked up a first down. However, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer challenged the spot on the play, the officials ruled him down short of the marker, and James White was stopped short on the ensuing third down. Ryan Allen punted 52 yards to the Minnesota 22-yard line.

Patriots 10, Vikings 0 (3:07): The Vikings picked up one first down, as Dalvin Cook raced for 18 yards, before an offensive holding penalty and short gain on 3rd and long forced them to bring out the punt unit. Julian Edelman signaled for a fair catch at his own 17-yard line.

Patriots 10, Vikings 0 (5:45): Vikings safety Anthony Harris broke up a Tom Brady pass intended for Julian Edelman on 3rd and Goal from the Minnesota 1-yard line. Harris’s play held the Patriots to a 20-yard Stephen Gostkowski field goal, which capped a 15 play, 68-yard drive. James White highlighted the drive for the Patriots, racing for back-to-back first downs early before picking up another on third down to keep the drive alive in the red zone.

Patriots 7, Vikings 0 (14:21): Patriots defensive end Trey Flowers burst through the Vikings offensive line on 3rd and 6 from the Minnesota 28-yard line, forcing Kirk Cousins to throw an incomplete pass. Cousins had found Dalvin Cook for a first down before Flowers’ intervention stalled the drive. The Patriots took over on their own 31-yard line.

First quarter

Patriots 7, Vikings 0 (2:34): 

Tom Brady picked up a first down, scrambling for five yards on 3rd and 3 to push his career rushing yards total to 1,000, but the Patriots’ drive stalled three plays later. Two straight incomplete passes intended for Julian Edelman brought out punter Ryan Allen, who pinned the Vikings on their own 10-yard line.

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Patriots 7, Vikings 0 (5:26): Vikings kicker Dan Bailey’s 48-yard effort went wide left of the uprights. Kirk Cousins had led his offense to the edge of the Patriots’ red zone, before Adam Butler sacked him for an 8-yard loss on second down. The New England pass rush reached the quarterback again on the next play, forcing Cousins to throw an incompletion as he was thrown to the turf. The Patriots took over at their own 30-yard line.

Patriots 7, Vikings 0 (9:33): James Develin punctuated an eight play, 81-yard Patriots drive with a touchdown. The Vikings defensive front stuffed Sony Michel on 1st and Goal from the 1-yard line but could not contain Develin on the next play. Tom Brady carved Minnesota’s defense apart as New England marched downfield, connecting with four different receivers for double-digit gains.

Patriots 0, Vikings 0 (13:25): Minnesota went three-and-out on the opening drive of the game. After an incomplete pass and a 2-yard rush, Kirk Cousins’ pass to Stefon Diggs on third down did not reach the marker. The Patriots started on their own 19-yard line after a 48-yard Matt Wile punt.

Pregame Scenes

Coin toss:

The Patriots won the toss and elected to defer. Kirk Cousins and the Vikings will start with the ball.

Tom Brady

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady warms up.

Adam Thielen

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen warms up.

Inactives:

Minnesota Vikings — Kyle Sloter, QB. Chad Beebe, WR. Mike Boone, RB. DeVante Downs, LB. Brett Jones, C. David Morgan, TE. Jalyn Holmes, DT.

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New England Patriots —Duke Dawson, DB. Danny Shelton, DL. Dwayne Allen, TE. Keion Crossen, CB. Derek Rivers, DE. Keionta Davis, DL. James Ferentz, OL.

Vikings Patriots Football

Peter White, left, and Gary Conroy raise a tent in the rain for tailgating in the parking lot of Gillette Stadium.

ICYMI: Some Patriots wearing special cleats today

Jacob Hollister

Tight end Jacob Hollister’s cleats for a cause focus on suicide prevention.

Coach Bill Belichick and 19 players will be participating in the NFL’s third annual “My Cause, My Cleats’’ campaign — an initiative that allows philanthropic passions to come to life through a pair of customized cleats or, in Belichick’s case, sneakers. The Patriots will sport them only in Week 13, representing several charitable causes from intellectual and developmental disabilities (Best Buddies) to single-parent support services (One Family) to animal rights (MSPCA Angell).

Read Nicole Yang’s full story on the inspiration behind the players’ choices.

Keys to victory

Vikings

1. Purple people eaters: Danielle Hunter and Everson Griffen must get off the edge and swallow up Tom Brady before he starts distributing to his weapons.

2. Purple aura: Stefon Diggs has to be able to stretch New England’s defense with his speed. His big-play ability could help negate the Patriots’ chances to get to – and rattle — Kirk Cousins.

3. Purple haze: Mix the looks and coverages to confuse quarterback Tom Brady. It’s not easy, but Mike Vrabel set the blueprint in Tennessee. If you’re predictable, Brady will kill you.

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Patriots

1. Raspberry beret: Got to get a hat on a hat, because the Vikings like to blitz and they’re really good at it. Harrison Smith and linebacker Anthony Barr know how to time it and land blows.

2. Housequake: Making Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins uncomfortable is imperative. Bring the house and rock his world to get him off his spot and force him into bad decisions.

3. Little red Corvette: The Patriots have to get their engines revving against the No. 1 red zone defense in the league. Rex Burkhead’s tough inside running could be the answer here.

– Jim McBride

Pregame reading

■ Chad Finn’s Unconventional Preview: Patriots might need another grind-it-out performance against Vikings (Read more)

■ Red alert: Patriots’ offense struggling in goal-line situations (Read more)

■ Dan Shaughnessy: The Patriots were Tomato Cans at one point, even under Bill Belichick (Read more)

■ Julian Edelman says he’s heard anti-Semitic taunts during games (Read more)

■ What experts are predicting for Sunday’s Patriots-Vikings game (Read more)