What To Watch For: Darrelle On Cordarrelle?
BOSTON (CBS) -- The last time the New England Patriots started a season off with an 0-2 record, the team made a change at quarterback.
Granted, that change was not by choice. Had Mo Lewis not nearly killed Drew Bledsoe in Week 2 of the 2001 season, Tom Brady may have never taken over under center, and the history of the franchise would look much different than what is written on the walls at Gillette Stadium.
Under Brady, the Patriots have never started a season 0-2. It's a trend the team would like to continue as they look for their first win of the season Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.
The Brady-led Patriots have only lost two straight games six times (including a four-game skid the team suffered in 2002), most recently in 2012 when the team dropped games in Weeks 2 and 3 and started that campaign with a 1-2 record.
While they don't often lose two straight, the one constant is the Patriots always manage to put their mini-skids behind them and make the playoffs -- minus the 2002 season when they dropped those four straight in the middle of the season. Even then, it came down to the final game of the season, when the Patriots came back to beat the Dolphins in overtime to give them a shot at the AFC East. But the Jets beat the Packers in an afternoon game, a win that gave New York the division -- at 9-7.
What does that all mean for Sunday? Absolutely nothing. It just looks nice to give a little history lesson before jumping ahead to the present.
Here are a few things to watch for as the Patriots take on the Vikings:
Slowing Down Patterson
Adrian Peterson is out following the shocking developments that broke late Friday. Without Peterson, the Patriots can shift their attention to second-year receiver Cordarrelle Patterson (no offense to backup running back Matt Asiata, who had two carries for 10 yards in Week 1).
Patterson had a great Week 1 against the Rams and actually out-gained Peterson on the ground with 103 yards on three carries and a 67-yard touchdown run. He chipped in in the passing game as well with three receptions for 26 yards on five targets. And if you haven't seen it yet, he's pretty motivated to play against a team that had a chance to draft him in 2013.
Patterson is a solid offensive weapon who can line up anywhere on the field, which will make for an interesting matchup against the New England secondary. Chances are Darrelle Revis will be all over him Sunday afternoon, a matchup Revis spoke about on Thursday.
"He's probably one of the most explosive players in the league," said Revis. "They're pitching him the ball, tosses, he's getting reverses and he's taking them to the distance. We have to know where he's at all times."
Revis struggled a bit with Miami's Mike Wallace in Week 1, so he'll be extra motivated to shut down whoever he's tasked with covering in Minnesota, whether it be Patterson or veteran Greg Jennings. But no matter who is on him, the Patriots will have to be aware of Patterson at all times.
Committee To End Offensive Line By Committee
It's not unusual for Tom Brady not to enjoy his trips to South Beach during the football season. He didn't have much fun in Week 1, getting sacked four times and hit on countless other plays. He didn't even have a friend to help pick him up, instead having to rely on the zebras to give him a helping hand (though Jordan Devey did pick him up one of the times -- likely hoping to secure a job on the line).
Brady is going to see as much, if not more pressure this weekend, as the Vikings possess a very talented pass-rush. In head coach Mike Zimmer's debut, they sacked St. Louis quarterbacks five times and hit them a total of eight times. Last year in Cincinnati, when Zimmer was the defensive coordinator of the Bengals, they made Brady's life fairly miserable in Week 5, constantly sending Brady to the ground and, more importantly, keeping out of the end zone. Now he'll be letting Everson Griffen (two sacks in Week 1) and Linval Joseph (one sack in Week 1) loose with Brady in the cross hairs.
With the New England offensive line a constant flow of changing parts, look for the Vikings to take advantage and send the house at Brady. Will the Patriots have an answer? Hopefully they can pick the guys they want protecting the most important man on the field, and stick with that group.
It'd also be swell if third-round pick Bryan Stork could hit the field (Michael Hurley began the #ReleaseTheStork campaign first thing Monday morning) , because without Logan Mankins the O-Line is really hurting in the beard department, in addition to the keep-Brady-upright department.
Up The Tempo On Offense
One way to kill the pass-rush is to pick up the tempo. With Sunday's game in a college stadium that seats just 50,000, crowd noise shouldn't be a factor like it once was at the Metrodome. That should open things up for Brady and Company to break out the no-huddle, and keep the Vikings defense on their heels.
Brady also talked about changing up the snap count this week after Miami had so much success rushing the line.
A Focused Special Teams
While some may forget that special teams is an important part of any football team, that's not Bill Belichick's style. The coach throws out "all three phases of the game" almost as much as "it is what it is" and "(insert snorting noise here)" when critiquing his team's performance.
But over the past few years it seems as though the special teams play has slipped every so slightly, and last week in Miami, the group was anything but special.
Ryan Allen (who fumbled in the preseason) had a punt blocked which led directly to the Dolphins first touchdown. And despite some booming kicks from Stephen Gostkowski, the Dolphins averaged 25 yards per kick return and the Pats were unable to pin them deep in their own zone. With Patterson handling kickoff returns for the Vikings, the Patriots better hope Gostkowski kicks the ball out of TCF Bank Stadium.
Special teams captain Matthew Slater spoke about the "unacceptable" play from New England's special teams squad earlier this week, and he sounded pretty ticked off. It's not going to be easy, but that will be a very motivated squad take the field on Sunday, and expect a better performance out of that group.
Tune in to Patriots-Vikings on WBZ-TV and 98.5 The Sports Hub – the flagship stations of the New England Patriots. Pregame coverage begins on 98.5FM at 10am on Sunday, with Patriots GameDay kicking off WBZ-TV's coverage at 11:30am. Stay tuned following the game for three hours of postgame coverage on 98.5, and tune to myTV38 for Patriots 5th Quarter!
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