The New England Patriots re-entered the AFC playoff picture with a 27-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football.
It wasn’t an impressive win, as the Cardinals lost starting quarterback Kyler Murray to an apparent knee injury early in the first quarter, and the Patriots had to overcome a 13-10 halftime deficit in order to come away with the victory.
But a win is a win, and this one puts New England in the final Wild Card playoff spot in the conference.
Two players in particular stepped up to get the Patriots into the win column at a time when they badly need as many victories as possible.
1. Hunter Henry
Hunter Henry, who has had something of a down season relative to the rest of his career, had perhaps his best effort so far this season.
He had only three catches, but they added up to 70 yards.
His biggest catch of the night came early in the fourth quarter when he got to Arizona’s three-yard line on a 39-yard reception that led to a Pierre Strong Jr. touchdown run on the next snap and a 27-13 Patriots lead.
2. Marcus Jones
Marcus Jones has gotten a limited number of snaps this season, but he had the biggest play of the game late in the third quarter.
With Arizona down 20-13 and in Patriots territory, backup quarterback Colt McCoy attempted to find DeAndre Hopkins downfield, but the pass was intercepted by Jones.
Picked off by Marcus Jones 🙌
Who’s got @Patriots defense in @NFLFantasy?
📺: #NEvsAZ on ESPN
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/UKeBTYKCRY pic.twitter.com/FfVp5WO3Ds— NFL (@NFL) December 13, 2022
It led to the Patriots’ possession where Henry made his big catch and Strong scored the touchdown that put things out of reach.
