Patriots Hope Vikings Are Perfect Thanksgiving Opponents

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones says they’ve been working on taking their opportunities in the red zone.

Although they beat the Jets on Sunday, it was a familiar inefficient performance from New England. Their issues extend beyond the redzone, too.

Over the last three games, the Patriots have had 34 non-penalty plays that resulted in negative yardage.

Mac Jones explained that while at Kentucky, he learned about the ‘flip the switch’ approach, which is about making the right choice on the crucial part of the field.

Want $250 to bet on Thursday Night Football?

Sign up here!

“They were kind of struggling in the red zone and their thing was ‘flip the switch.’ When you start getting into that fringe [area], the red area, flip the switch. It’s where you really need to pick it up,” Mac Jones said.

“I kind of utilized that at Alabama a little bit too. Right now, that’s our biggest area we need to flip the switch and make something good happen.

“A lot of it comes back to execution by us — not talking the sacks, getting points. Positive plays are what we’re trying to get,” Jones said. “We’re going backwards too much.

“We’ve put emphasis on it over and over. At this point, it’s time to just go out and do it.”

If they’re going to ‘just go out and do it’, the Minnesota Vikings on Thanksgiving could be the perfect time. This season the Vikings have allowed 20 touchdowns in 28 red zone trips, ranked last in the NFL.

Read: NFL Power Rankings, Week 12 – Patriots Make Move In AFC

“We don’t have any trouble moving the ball,” added running back Rhamondre Stevenson.

Stevenson leads the Patriots with 644 yards on 144 carries (4.5 YPC) and four touchdowns.

“Once we get into their territory, we don’t do well. That’s something we need to work on.”