Patriots keep playoffs alive while Cardinals rue Kliff Kingsbury extension: Best memes and tweets

The Patriots are dreaming of the playoffs after beating the Cardinals on Monday Night Football while Arizona wants a new head coach.

Monday Night Football was far from an instant classic, but it could have a big impact on the 2022 season and beyond.

That’s because the Patriots‘ win put them in the final playoff spot in the AFC with four weeks to go.

It may also have been the final straw for the Arizona Cardinals and Kliff Kingsbury.

After injuries grabbed the headlines in the first half, New England ran away in the second half with a 27-13 victory.

Here’s how NFL Twitter reacted:

Best memes and tweets after the Patriots beat the Cardinals

For the Patriots, the performance of Josh Uche it easier to put the concerns over injuries to DaVonte Parker, Rhamondre Stevenson and Jack Jones out of mind. New England jumped the Jets and Chargers in the AFC standings to make the night even sweeter.

For the Cardinals, the devastating injury to Kyler Murray after just a couple plays was an omen for more painful viewing as the game went on. Arizona hasn’t won a home game since October, so they may be used to it by now, but that doesn’t make it any easier to witness futility like the type on display in 2022.

Despite the injury to Murray, Arizona went into halftime with a lead. Two Matt Prater field goals and a James Conner touchdown run from 10 yards out kept them ahead of the Patriots, who managed 10 points, including a last-second Nick Folk field goal going into the break.

The wheels fell off the Cardinals in the second half while the Patriots rolled. Folk knocked through another field goal, Raekwon McMillan returned a fumble 23 yards for a fumble and Pierre Strong punched in a three-yard touchdown as New England pulled away.