Grab a plate and hunker down.
The Patriots are playing on Thanksgiving night.
According to a source, the Pats will kick off at Minnesota at 8:20 pm in a game broadcast on NBC. The Patriots haven’t played on Thanksgiving since 2012, when they beat Rex Ryan’s Jets 49-19 in the famous “Butt Fumble” game. The NFL will release its entire 2022 regular-season schedule tonight at 8.
The Pats have won their last five meetings with the Vikings, most recently beating them 10-24 in a 2018 game at Gillette Stadium. Minnesota is coming off an 8-9 campaign that triggered a regime change, with first-year coach Kevin O’Connell, a former Patriots quarterback, replacing longtime headman Mike Zimmer. On the field, the Vikings are led by veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins, who completed 66.3% of his passes for 4,221 yards, 33 touchdowns and seven picks last year.
Cousins is 0-2 all-time against the Patriots, including one start with Washington in 2015. The Pats are 5-1 against Minnesota under head coach Bill Belichick, with their lone loss coming in 2000.
According to reports, the NFL’s Thanksgiving slate on Nov. 24 will open with the Bills at Detroit, indicating the Patriots could play Buffalo the following Thursday.
The Pats’ complete schedule has yet to be reported, though three other kickoffs have been confirmed by the Herald:
Week 4: at Green Bay, 4:25 p.m.
Week 5: vs. Detroit, 1 p.m.
Week 7: vs. Chicago (MNF), 8:15 p.m.
The Patriots will travel for nine road games this season, including trips to Las Vegas, Arizona and Pittsburgh. They’ll also play eight home games, welcoming, among others, the reigning AFC champion Bengals, Ravens and Colts.