New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots earned their ninth-straight victory in Week 12 with a 26-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. One of the stars of the game was tight end Hunter Henry, and he made a heartwarming gesture after finding the end zone in this one.
Henry paced all receivers in this game with seven receptions for 115 yards and one touchdown. With New England’s passing attack struggling at times, Henry was the security blanket Drake Maye used time and again to help move the ball down the field.
A 28-yard touchdown pass from Maye to Henry got the Pats on the board in the second quarter, and it had some extra meaning for the veteran pass catcher. After doing his trademark jump spike celebration, Henry found a camera in the back of the end zone and gave a shoutout to linebacker Jahlani Tavai, who missed this game for personal reasons.
“That’s for you, ‘Lani,” Henry can be heard saying after finding the end zone.
While the exact reason for Tavai’s absence is unknown, it’s clear he was on his teammates’ minds during this game. In the locker room after the game, the team quickly FaceTimed Tavai, and several players said they were thinking of him when speaking to the media.
Hopefully, all is well for Tavai, and in his absence, the team was able to earn its 10th win of the season. The Patriots will now turn their attention to Week 13, where a Monday Night Football matchup against the New York Giants awaits.
