The New England Patriots easily could have won their Thanksgiving Day game against the Minnesota Vikings, but too many penalties and self-inflicted mistakes cost Bill Belichick's team in a 33-26 loss Thursday night at U.S. Bank Stadium.
The loss is a tough one for the Patriots, who, as a result, dropped from the No. 6 seed (second wild card) in the AFC standings to outside the playoff picture in eighth place with a 6-5 record. New England also sits in last place in the AFC East division. The Patriots could jump back into a playoff spot by the end of Sunday night, but they need the Cincinnati Bengals or New York Jets to lose.