The second half of Patriots-Vikings on Thanksgiving night has turned into a shootout.
Patriots opened the second half with a 37-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Mac Jones to tight end Hunter Henry.
But then something unexpected happened: The Vikings returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to tie the score 23-23.
New England didn’t take long to get down the field, scoring on an eight play, 75-yard drive that took 4:06 off the clock. New England used plenty of play action to efficiently move down the field, finishing with henry’s touchdown.
But returner Kene Nwangwu found a lane on the kickoff and darted down the field for a 97-yard touchdown. Via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, it was the first kickoff returned for a touchdown against New England since Buffalo’s CJ Spiller took one back in 2010.
The officials may have missed a hold on Kyle Dugger on the kickoff. But the touchdown still counted.
On the ensuing drive, Henry was initially ruled to have scored another touchdown on a 6-yard pass. The first ruling was that Henry had extended the ball over the goal line before he was tackled. But upon review, the officials ruled Henry had lost control of the ball and it hit the ground as he was tackled for an incomplete pass.
New England settled for a 25-yard field goal to make the score 26-23.