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Raekwon McMillan, Marcus Jones Spark Defensive Resurgence: Patriots Take 27-13 Lead

New England's defense has provided a much-needed boost for the Pats in their Week 14 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale.

Mike D'Abate

As the New England Patriots offense continued to struggle, their defense is taking matters into their own hands. 

With the Pats and Arizona Cardinals locked in a 13-13 tie in the third quarter of their Week 14 matchup at State Farm Stadium, New England's defenders logged some points of their own using stout coverage and some timely field awareness. 

At 1st and 10 from the Arizona 18-yard line, Cardinals quarterback Colt McCoy found wideout DeAndre Hopkins for what he believed would be a short-yardage gain over the middle. However, Hopkins was unable to secure the football in the face of coverage from safety Kyle Dugger and defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. That opened the door for linebacker Raekwon McMillan to recover Hopkins' fumble at the 23-yard line, returning it for the touchdown. 

The touchdown gave the Patriots a 20-13 lead with time winding down in the third quarter. 

New England's secondary once again made its presence felt on the ensuing drive. Rookie Marcus Jones read McCoy's attempt to find Hopkins deep out of the shotgun. The Pats new triple-threat weapon picked McCoy's pass off and returned it to the Patriots 37-yard line. 

At the start of the fourth quarter, quarterback Mac Jones and Pats offense finally awoke, traveling 63 yards on five plays, capped by rookie Pierre Strong, Jr. gaining his first touchdown as a pro on a three-yard run. 

Strong became the second Pats rookie runner to earn his first career rushing touchdown, with Kevin Harris logging a 14-yard score in the first half. 

Strong's touchdown gave the Pats a 27-13 lead. 

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Mike D'Abate
MIKE D'ABATE

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