Minnesota quarterback Kirk Cousins’ third touchdown pass made the difference in a game that was tied five times as the Vikings pulled out a 33-26 victory over the New England Patriots on Thursday night.
Cousins connected with wide receiver Adam Thielen with 9:34 to play for the game’s final touchdown, and a third-down sack and a fourth-down incompletion on either side of the two-minute warning after the Patriots reached the Minnesota 30-yard line turned back New England’s best chance for the game’s sixth tie.
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The New England-Minnesota game on Thursday night capped the NFL’s Thanksgiving tripleheader.
After the Detroit Lions’ Michael Badgley tied the game with a 51-yard field goal with 23 seconds to play, Tyler Bass lifted the Buffalo Bills to a 28-25 victory with a 45-yard field goal with two seconds remaining.
Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott threw two touchdown passes to tight end Dalton Schultz in the third quarter as the Cowboys overcame a six-point halftime deficit for a 28-20 victory over the New York Giants.
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Seventeen alumni of Alabama high schools and colleges played on Thursday.
Detroit Lions defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs tackles Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen during an NFL game on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022, at Ford Field in Detroit.(AP Photo/Rick Osentoski)
Buffalo Bills 28, Detroit Lions 25
Four players from Alabama high schools and college got on the field in the Buffalo-Detroit game:
· Isaiah Buggs (Alabama) started at defensive tackle for the Lions. Buggs made four tackles and registered a quarterback hit.
· Bills cornerback Siran Neal (Eufaula, Jacksonville State) played but did not record any stats.
· Lions guard Ross Pierschbacher (Alabama) played but did not record any stats. Detroit elevated Pierschbacher from its practice squad to make him eligible for his first NFL regular-season appearance since 2020.
· Lions cornerback Saivion Smith (Alabama) is on practice-squad injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Lions guard Logan Stenberg (James Clemens) played but did not record any stats.
· Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams (Alabama) is on reserve/non-football injury and not eligible to play.
Buffalo improved to 8-3 to move one-half game ahead of the Miami Dolphins at the top of the AFC East standings. Detroit dropped to 4-7 with the end of its three-game winning streak.
The Bills play on Thursday again next week when they visit the New England Patriots for a 7:15 p.m. CST kickoff on Dec. 1. The Lions host the Jacksonville Jaguars at noon Dec. 4.
New York Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton catches the football during an NFL game against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
Dallas Cowboys 28, New York Giants 20
Six players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field during the New York-Dallas game:
· Giants safety Landon Collins (Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Giants offensive tackle Korey Cunningham (Montevallo) played but did not record any stats. New York elevated Cunningham from its practice squad to make him eligible for his first appearance of the 2022 NFL season.
· Trevon Diggs (Alabama) started at cornerback for the Cowboys. Diggs made seven tackles.
· Cordale Flott (Saraland) started at right cornerback for the Giants. Flott made five tackles before leaving his fourth NFL game to be evaluated for a concussion.
· Giants wide receiver Robert Foster (Alabama) is on the practice squad and not eligible to play.
· Giants safety Xavier McKinney (Alabama) is on reserve/non-football injury and not eligible to play.
· Giants offensive tackle Evan Neal (Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive. After starting the first seven games of his NFL career at right tackle, Neal missed his fourth game in a row because of a knee injury.
· Giants cornerback Aaron Robinson (Alabama) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Darius Slayton (Auburn) started at wide receiver for the Giants. Slayton had three receptions for 63 yards. Slayton made a leaping catch at the Dallas 1-yard line for a 44-yard gain that set up New York’s first touchdown as the Giants took a 10-7 lead with 9:28 left in the first half.
· Cowboys wide receiver Jalen Tolbert (McGill-Toolen, South Alabama) played but did not record any stats.
· Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams (Lee-Montgomery) played but did not record any stats.
· Giants defensive lineman Nick Williams (Minor, Samford) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
Dallas moved ahead of New York in the NFC East standings by improving to 8-3 while dropping the Giants to 7-4. It trails the Philadelphia Eagles, whose 9-1 record is the best in the NFL.
The Cowboys play in next week’s Sunday night game. The Indianapolis Colts visit AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, at 7:20 p.m. Dec. 4. New York stays in the division with a home game against the Washington Commanders at noon Dec. 4 for its next outing.
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones passes during an NFL game against the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday, Nov. 24, 2022, at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.(AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
Minnesota Vikings 33, New England Patriots 26
Seven players from Alabama high schools and colleges got on the field during the New England-Minnesota game:
· Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore (Alabama) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Damien Harris (Alabama) started at running back for the Patriots. Harris ran for 16 yards on five carries.
· Anfernee Jennings (Dadeville, Alabama) started at linebacker for the Patriots. Jennings made two tackles.
· Jonathan Jones (Auburn) started at left cornerback for the Patriots. Jones made seven tackles, intercepted one pass and broke up two others. Jones’ third interception of the 2022 season and 10th of his career came with a 55-yard return – the longest of his career — to the Minnesota 17-yard line. New England turned the takeaway into a field goal for a 10-7 lead with 1:28 left in the first quarter.
· Mac Jones (Alabama) started at quarterback for the Patriots. Jones completed 28-of-39 passes for 382 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Jones had the highest passing yardage of his NFL career, surpassing a 321-yard showing in a 37-26 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sept. 25. Jones threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Nelson Agholor as New England tied the game at 7-7 with 8:21 left in the first quarter and a 37-yard touchdown pass to tight end Hunter Henry as the Patriots took a 23-16 lead with 10:54 remaining in the third quarter.
· Patriots cornerback Marcus Jones (Enterprise, Troy) ran back a kickoff 46 yards, returned two punts for 11 yards and made one tackle on special teams.
· Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens (Spain Park) dressed for the game but did not play.
· Patriots defensive tackle LaBryan Ray (James Clemens, Alabama) is on practice-squad injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Vikings tight end Irv Smith Jr. (Alabama) is on injured reserve and not eligible to play.
· Za’Darius Smith (Greenville) started at outside linebacker for the Vikings. Smith made three tackles and recorded a tackle for loss.
· Vikings defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson (Alabama) was designated as a game-day inactive. A calf injury kept Tomlinson sidelined for a fourth consecutive game.
· Patriots outside linebacker Mack Wilson (Carver-Montgomery, Alabama) made one tackle on special teams.
Minnesota improved to 9-2 while New England dropped to 6-5.
The Patriots play on Thursday again next week when they host the Buffalo Bills for a 7:15 p.m. kickoff on Dec. 1. The Vikings host the New York Jets at noon Dec. 4 in their next game.
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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.
