Patriots beat Vikings 20-12 as rookies Henderson and Chism each record another preseason TD

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — New England rookies TreVeyon Henderson and Efton Chism III each had another preseason touchdown, and the Patriots beat the Minnesota Vikings 20-12 on Saturday.

Henderson, the second-round draft pick from national champion Ohio State who's been turning heads in training camp and tracking toward a prominent role in the backfield, rushed for 20 yards with an 8-yard score on four carries during a two-drive stint for the first-team offense. Henderson had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown last week.

“He runs hard and protects the ball, and guys were finishing and gave him a little bit of grease,” Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said. “You don't need much, and he finds it.”

Vrabel held a handful of projected starters out, including four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who's returning from a torn ACL in his right knee suffered halfway through his lone season with the Houston Texans.

Second-year quarterback Drake Maye started against an all-backups Vikings defense and went 4 for 7 for 46 yards with a delay-of-game penalty and an overthrow that was nearly intercepted but dropped by Tavierre Thomas.

Chism made another compelling case for a regular-season roster spot with six receptions from backup QB Joshua Dobbs for 71 yards and a score. He caught a short throw on third-and-9 from the 12 and broke six tackle attempts as he twisted and muscled his way into the end zone.

“He wants it, and I think that's the biggest thing he's showed,” Maye said. “I think it's paying off for him.”

With Diggs, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte and veterans Kendrick Bourne and Mack Hollins secure on the roster, the Patriots (2-0) might only have one spot left for a wide receiver. Chism, who was undrafted as an FCS player from Eastern Washington, will certainly get a long look. He had a 12-yard touchdown catch last week.

“Doesn’t matter how you get here,” Vrabel said. “The only thing that matters is what you do when you’re here and I think that’s another great example of that.”

The two teams had two days of joint practices this week, providing plenty of tests for players in situational drills in a controlled setting, and Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell was more than satisfied with the work. No projected starter on either side of the ball suited up for Minnesota (1-1), and several key backups who are locks to make the team were given the afternoon off, too.

New quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who led one 12-play drive last week, wore an earpiece on the sideline while Sam Howell started. Howell, who was acquired in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks in April after the veteran backup market dried up, went 1 for 5 with an interception he forced off his back foot under pressure.

Brett Rypien was 7 for 11 for 83 yards in the second quarter. Undrafted rookie Max Brosmer, who has been the best of the backups in camp, went 15 for 27 for 156 yards while playing the whole second half. His final throw from the 13-yard line on the last play of the game was tipped and intercepted in the end zone by Kyle Dugger.

“There’s a reason why we’re playing all three of them," O'Connell said. “As far as what that means in the overall competition, I think I would just say that it’s still open and we’re trying to figure out what that room is going to look like for the season.”

Dugger has 65 starts over five seasons, but he's been relegated to the second team as the Patriots implement a new scheme under Vrabel. Another incumbent starter, outside linebacker Anfernee Jennings, joined Dugger with extensive playing time in the second half while surrounded by rookies trying to make the team. Jennings had three sacks.

Another first-teamer who's fallen behind, 2022 first-round draft pick Cole Strange, played with backups while Ben Brown started at left guard.

The Patriots finish the preseason at New York Giants on Thursday, when the Vikings play at the Tennessee Titans.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Howell (8) passes under pressure from New England Patriots linebacker K'Lavon Chaisson (44) during the first half of a preseason NFL football game Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) celebrates after scoring during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

Minnesota Vikings running back Zavier Scott (36) runs with the ball during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the New England Patriots Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)

New England Patriots wide receiver Efton Chism III (86) avoids a tackle from Minnesota Vikings safety Jay Ward, right, and cornerback Mekhi Blackmon (5) to score a touchdown during the first half of a preseason NFL football game Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

New England Patriots wide receiver Efton Chism III celebrates after scoring during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

BERLIN (AP) — The eight European countries targeted by U.S. President Donald Trump for a 10% tariff for opposing American control of Greenland blasted the move Sunday, warning that the American leader's threats “undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”

In an unusual and very strong joint statement coming from major U.S. allies, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland on Sunday said troops sent to Greenland for the Danish military training exercise “Arctic Endurance” pose “no threat to anyone.”

Trump's Saturday announcement sets up a potentially dangerous test of U.S. partnerships in Europe. The Republican president appeared to indicate that he was using the tariffs as leverage to force talks over the status of Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark that he regards as critical to U.S. national security.

“We stand in full solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and the people of Greenland," the group said. “Building on the process begun last week, we stand ready to engage in a dialogue based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity that we stand firmly behind. Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral.”

There are immediate questions about how the White House could try to implement the tariffs because the EU is a single economic zone in terms of trading. It was unclear, too, how Trump could act under U.S. law, though he could cite emergency economic powers that are currently subject to a U.S. Supreme Court challenge.

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said China and Russia will benefit from the divisions between the U.S. and Europe. She added in a post on social media: “If Greenland’s security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO. Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity."

Trump's move was also panned domestically.

U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, a former U.S. Navy pilot and Democrat who represents Arizona, posted that Trump’s threatened tariffs on U.S. allies would make Americans “pay more to try to get territory we don’t need.”

“Troops from European countries are arriving in Greenland to defend the territory from us. Let that sink in,” he wrote on social media. “The damage this President is doing to our reputation and our relationships is growing, making us less safe. If something doesn’t change we will be on our own with adversaries and enemies in every direction.”

Six of the countries targeted are part of the 27-member EU, which operates as a single economic zone in terms of trading. It was not immediately clear if Trump's tariffs would impact the entire bloc. EU envoys scheduled emergency talks for Sunday evening to determine a potential response.

The tariff announcement even drew blowback from Trump's populist allies in Europe.

Italy’s right-wing premier, Giorgia Meloni, considered one of Trump’s closest allies on the continent, said Sunday she had spoken to him about the tariffs, which she described as “a mistake.”

The deployment to Greenland of small numbers of troops by some European countries was misunderstood by Washington, Meloni told reporters. She said the deployment was not a move against the U.S. but aimed to provide security against “other actors” that she didn’t name.

French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on social media that “no intimidation or threats will influence us, whether in Ukraine, Greenland or anywhere else in the world when we are faced with such situations." He added that "tariff threats are unacceptable and have no place in this context.”

Jordan Bardella, president of Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party in France and also a European Parliament lawmaker, posted that the EU should suspend last year’s tariff deal with the U.S., describing Trump’s threats as “commercial blackmail.”

Trump also achieved the rare feat of uniting Britain’s main political parties — including the hard-right Reform UK party — all of whom criticized the tariff threat.

“We don’t always agree with the U.S. government and in this case we certainly don’t. These tariffs will hurt us,” Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, a longtime champion and ally of Trump, wrote on social media. He stopped short of criticizing Trump's designs on Greenland.

Meanwhile, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who leads the center-left Labour Party, said the tariffs announcement was “completely wrong” and his government would “be pursuing this directly with the U.S. administration.”

The foreign ministers of Denmark and Norway are also expected to address the crisis Sunday in Oslo during a news conference.

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Leicester reported from Paris and Cook from Brussels. Associated Press writers Jill Lawless in London, Barry Hatton in Lisbon, Portugal, Aamer Madhani in Washington and Josh Boak in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.

A crowd walks to the US consulate to protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

A boy holds a crossed out map of Greenland topped by a hairpiece symbolizing U.S. President Donald Trump, during a protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

People protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of the US consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)