The New England Patriots haven't started a season with an 0-2 record since 2001, which means, of course, that they haven't done it since Tom Brady took over as the starting quarterback. After a shocking loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 1, the Patriots are in danger of that rare 0-2 start, but a 1-1 mark seems decidedly more likely.
Patriots vs. Vikings 2014: Tom Brady trying to avoid first ever 0-2 start
Tom Brady threw the ball far too much in Week 1, but he’ll have to sling it early and often to help the Patriots avoid an 0-2 start against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2.
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
They're set to take on the Minnesota Vikings, a team fresh off a big Week 1 victory but over a much worse team in the St. Louis Rams. It's not surprising that the Patriots fell to a tandem of Ryan Tannehill and Knowshon Moreno, while the Vikings triumphed over a Rams team that started Shaun Hill at quarterback before Austin Davis came in off the bench.
But a win is a win and a loss is a loss, and both teams have their strengths. The Patriots will likely try and get more balance out of the offense while Minnesota will try and patch up a pass defense that allowed far too many yards to the Rams. Let’s take a look at both teams below:
Meet the Vikings
The Vikings will be without Adrian Peterson on Sunday, which changes things up a bit. Matt Cassel played well in the opener, which bodes well, and the team has seen some good things from Matt Asiata in the past. Asiata will likely make the start at running back but smart money is on Cordarrelle Patterson, who saw three carries in the opener, will get more opportunities out of the backfield. Patterson is a wide receiver who happened to run for 102 yards and a touchdown against the Rams.
What Minnesota needs to worry about is the pass defense. The Vikings allowed Shaun Hill and Austin Davis to throw for a combined 246 yards, though neither quarterback found the end zone and both threw interceptions. Still, if those guys can pick up that kind of yardage, Tom Brady will have a field day.
Minnesota will probably need to throw the ball to be successful in this one, and that's going to be tough given the Patriots immediately upgraded their pass defense with the addition of Darrelle Revis this offseason. Greg Jennings and Patterson will certainly have their work cut out for them.
Meet the Patriots
New England is, as mentioned, 0-1 after a surprising loss to the rival Dolphins in Week 1. The Patriots came in with a gameplan on offense and then totally abandoned said gameplan. They had 20 rushing attempts and 56 passing attempts, a lopsided distribution even for them. Tom Brady completed just 29 of those 56 passing attempts, and was sacked four times in the loss.
But it was the poor run defense that desperately hurt them. Knowshon Moreno gouged the Patriots defense for 134 yards off of 24 carries with a touchdown. Lamar Miller carried the ball 11 times for 59 yards, giving the Broncos a solid 5.0 yards per carry average, and that's with quarterback Ryan Tannehill's three carries for -2 yards.
Week 1 was a clear misstep for the Patriots, but they'll likely get more playing time out of tight end Rob Gronkowski and head coach Bill Belichick certainly knows they threw the football too much, especially so early on in the season.
Injuries
Vikings:
Out: LB Brandon Watts (knee)
Questionable: DT Sharrif Floyd (shoulder), CB Xavier Rhodes (groin), WR Rodney Smith (hamstring)
Probable: T Mike Harris (shoulder), G Charlie Johnson (ankle), RB Zachary Line (ankle), LB Michael Mauti (foot), CB Jabari Price (hamstring)
Patriots:
Questionable: LB Jamie Collins (thigh), DE Michael Buchanan (ankle), DT Christopher Jones (ankle), DT Sealver Siliga (hand), C Ryan Wendell (knee)
Probable: TE Rob Gronkowski (knee)
Follow the Fun
Vikings:
Patriots:
Odds
The Patriots opened up as 4.5-point favorites but the line moved up to seven points with Peterson out, according to OddsShark.
Next Week
Minnesota will hit the road to take on the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 21. The Patriots will have their home opener against the Oakland Raiders on the same day.
See More:
