The Patriots are well-aware of how fired up head coach Bill Belichick can get. They didn’t need to be reminded Sunday when Belichick jawed with Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen during New England’s 24-10 win over Minnesota at Gillette Stadium.
That said, multiple Patriots players, including safety Devin McCourty, enjoyed the fireworks. After all, it further galvanized the Pats while showing the folks at home a different side of the typically reserved coach.
“Yeah, I thought the coolest thing was KV (Kyle Van Noy) had Bill’s back right away,” McCourty said after Sunday’s game in Foxboro. “He jumped in Thielen’s face, but I love when we get in games like this — just going back and forth. I’ve talked to Thielen a bunch of times off the field, a great guy, but everybody’s out there battling, and it’s all about sometimes football comes down to a yard and we’re out there on fourth-and-1 fighting for a yard.”
The heated exchange between Belichick and Thielen took place after Vikings running back Latavius Murray got just enough for a first down on a 4th-and-1 play with under nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Belichick challenged the call — unsuccessfully — but not before Patriots safety Patrick Chung went down with an injury, a move Thielen believed was designed solely to give New England more time to mull over throwing the red flag. Belichick and Thielen fired shots at each other, with Patriots linebacker Kyle Van Noy even joining the fray, both during and after the game.
“Obviously, as a defense, we all thought that was a fourth-down stop, but it is what it is,” McCourty said. “Bill’s fiery. We see it every day, so I think it’s probably a lot cooler for you guys to see it.”
The Patriots still own the No. 2 seed in the AFC after Sunday’s victory, which improved their record to 9-3. The Chiefs currently own the No. 1 seed with a 10-2 record, although New England holds the tiebreaker over Kansas City by virtue of winning the teams’ head-to-head matchup in Week 6.
