The New England Patriots’ bizarre run continues in 2020. They defeated the Arizona Cardinals, 20-17, in Week 12 on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. That loss to a seemingly superior Cardinals team comes in the wake of New England’s Week 11 loss to the Houston Texans, a seemingly subordinate team.
Trying to make sense of where the Patriots rank in the NFL is useless. They can defeat just about any team. And they can lose to just about any team. There’s no saying how good they’ll be on any given week. But the good version of New England has showed up too far and too few in between the bad. And so the Patriots (5-6) are still long shots to make the playoffs.
New England carried a struggling Cam Newton to victory in Week 12. A Nick Folk field goal ended the game as time expired. It was an exciting victory, even in the context of a puzzling season. Here’s everything you need to know about the game.