New England Patriots: Studs and duds from Week 12 vs. Cardinals
New England Patriots studs and duds from a tight win over the Cardinals.
After going through a two-game winning streak prior to last weekend, the New England Patriots came into the Week 12 slate of games riding a loss a week ago while looking to get back on track and avoid falling further below the .500 mark.
On Sunday afternoon in Foxborough, New England was faced with a tough matchup when the Arizona Cardinals came to town for a cross-conference matchup at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots ended up coming away with a surprising win against solid opposition, taking down the Cardinals in the final seconds to snag a 20-17 victory at home.
To open up the first half, Arizona got off to a hot start to be able to take an early 10-7 lead into halftime. The Cardinals scored 10 unanswered points in the opening quarter, with the Patriots answering with one touchdown of their own in the second quarter to narrow the game to three at the break.
Over the final two quarters in the second half, New England stormed back to complete a comeback victory, outscoring Arizona 13-7 over the final two quarters and sinking a field goal in the final seconds as time expired to win by three.
With the win, the Patriots improved to 5-6 overall on the season and get back into the win column while also climbing back near the .500 mark on the year. In the loss, the Cardinals fell to 6-5 overall and continue to slide down the NFC standings to make things interesting in the NFC playoff picture. .
The Patriots will get back to the field in Week 13 when they hit the road to take on the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday evening in Los Angeles. The Cardinals return to action in Week 13 when they return home to host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday evening in Arizona.
With the game between New England and Arizona now in the books, let’s take a look back at some studs and duds that took place in the contest for the Patriots.
Stud: James White finding the end zone
The first thing that stood out in the contest for the Patriots was the fact that James White helped lead things offensively en route to finding the endzone a few different times in the earlier stages of the contest at home.
White didn’t record the most carries or yards in the ground game but did get two touchdowns to put New England in a position to potentially win the game. The running back ended the game with five rushes for 18 yards and two touchdowns.
The running game has continued to be the strong point for the Patriots offense, and White and company certainly led the charge yet again in Week 12.
Dud: Lack of success in the passing game again
A continuing concern for New England’s offense in 2020 has been its lack of success or real talent in the passing game which is now led by Cam Newton under center. On Sunday in Week 12, that was once again a dud that took place for the Patriots as they were once again held in check when it came to the threat of airing the ball out against the Cardinals.
As a team, New England finished with just84 yards through the air on nine completions, with Newton also managing to throw for two interceptions along the way.
Of course, the Patriots are without Julian Edelman, the best wideout on the team, but their passing attack continues to be an area of concern.