Week 12: Patriots Squeak Out Last Second Surprise Win over Arizona Cardinals

Week 12 has come and gone for the New England Patriots. This week, they went in at 4-6 to welcome the Arizona Cardinals to Gillette. Not gonna lie here, I thought the Patriots would get obliterated. I thought it was going to basically be the end of a miserable season. But NOPE! Nick Folk and the Patriots just HAD to loop us right back in for one more week.

So of course, the Patriots decide to win another game at the buzzer on a Nick Folk 50 yard field goal. The 20-17 win over Arizona improves the Patriots record to 5-6. Before we move on to the Chargers, let’s look back at this game a bit.

James White

This stat is amazing to me. James White didn’t find the end zone in the first 10 games. Now granted, Rex Burkhead was doing extremely well until he got injured last week in Houston. But still, White is reliable. Especially in the passing game as a receiving back! Also, do we forget he shows up when the Patriots need him the most? Regardless of that, White played well today. He scored both touchdowns that the Patriots recorded and it was nice to see White being productive once again.

The HORRIBLE Blindside Block Call

So the Patriots were down 10-7 in the third quarter. The defense had just made a stop and Arizona punted it away. What looked like it was going to be a Gunner Olszewski punt return touchdown got called back because of an Anfernee Jennings “blindside block”. First off, the Cardinals player was looking directly at Jennings when the hit happened. Second, what is Jennings supposed to do? Supposedly, the rule is almost similar to a basketball pick. You realize that puts Jennings in danger of getting hurt, right? This was also a big swing at the time. If the call doesn’t occur, the Patriots go up 13-10 at least with the chance to make it 14-10 after a PAT. That’s a four point swing and a momentum swing which comes dramatically to the Patriots. This call stunk out loud and almost cost the Patriots the game when it was all said and done.

So Now…Where Are We At?

I said this on Legends Lingo and I’ll say it again here. I won’t be excited until the Patriots rattle off three more wins a row to put them at 8-6. Once you get to 8-6, then you have Buffalo at home and the Jets at home to end your season. At least that sets you up for a shot at a Wild Card spot. Until then, a win against the Cardinals is nice. But it might mean nothing come next Sunday.

In Conclusion

The win itself is a nice one. It’s fun to win, as that is what we’ve been accustomed to as Patriots fans for two decades now. But now, the post-season hunt hangs on by a thread for one more week. You have the Chargers next week in Los Angeles. They literally struggle to win games, especially close games late in the fourth quarter. If you can’t beat the Chargers on Sunday, pack it in and don’t even try for the rest of December. You’ll be 5-7 at that point with very little chance of a postseason birth. We’ll take it week by week. Enjoy the win tonight. Get back to work tomorrow and hopefully get to .500 this upcoming Sunday.

–Al Nahigian (@BigAl2793)

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Feat. Image courtesy of nfl.com/