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Should have saw this coming!  Tom Brady is now 10-0 in domes, which is amazing because they’re all road games!  So much for hostile road venues!  The Patriots came out throwing the ball and the Vikings looked shocked that they were.  Tom Brady completed passes to 10 different receivers and kept the defense off-balance.  Brady completed 29 of 43 passes for 372 yards with 4 TDs and an INT.  Laurence Maroney carried the ball 8 times for 34 yards (4.3 ypc) and caught 2 passes for 33 yards.  Corey Dillon only had 3 carries for 5 yards but caught 1 pass for 27 yards.  Fullback Heath Evans had one carry and it went for 35 yards.  TE Ben Watson had an outstanding game, catching 7 passes for 95 yards and a TD.  Reche Cladwell also had a great game, catching 7 passes for 84 yards and a TD.  Doug Gabriel chipped in with 5 catches for 83 yards.  WRs Troy Brown and Chad Jackson each had a TD reception.

The defense flat-out dominated the Vikings offense.  Mike Vrabel, Rodney Harrison, Ellis Hobbs and Chad Scott each intercepted a pass.  DE Tully Banta-Cain was unstoppable with 2 sacks in limited snaps.  The Patriots held the Vikings to 45 yards rushing on 15 carries (3.0 ypc).  The Vikings completed 26 of 42 passes for 239 net yards passing.

The Patriots would have shut the Vikings out, but Mewelde Moore returned a punt 71 yards for a TD.  The Patriots have served notice to the rest of the NFL……you better look out!

The Patriots are averaging 22.7 points per game this season.  The offense has evolved into a run-first unit that is averaging 131.5 yards rushing per game and 3.9 yards per carry.  The passing game is a work in progress, but the Patriots are averaging 193.3 net yards passing and complete 56.1% of their attempts.

The defense has been a bend-but-don’t-break unit that is allowing only 13.3 points per game this season.  The Patriots have been very stout against the run, only allowing 83.8 yards rushing per game and 3.5 yards per carry. The pass defense gets touched up a little bit, as the Pats allow 215.5 net yards passing per game, and allow the opposition to complete 59.7% of their attempts.

Finally, an outstanding match-up on Monday Night Football.  The Patriots are coasting in their division with a 5-1 record, while the Vikings are staying close to the Bears at 4-2.

The Patriots are all about the running game so far this season, so look for Laurence Maroney (361 rushing yards) and Corey Dillon (328 rushing yards) to get their carries.  It won’t be easy for the Patriots to run the ball against a Vikings defense that only allows 70.8 yards rushing per game and 3.1 yards per carry.  The Patriots are not a one dimensional team, as they have one of the greatest QBs of all-time in Tom Brady.  The Patriots got rid of his best two receivers in the off-season….so he even spreads the ball around more, which makes the Patriots hard to defend.

The Vikings also prefer to run the football behind the left side of their offensive line (Hutchinson and McKinnie) with Chester Taylor who has 590 yards rushing this season.  The Patriots defense is real tough against the run only allowing 83.8 yards rushing per game and 3.5 yards per carry.  The Patriots pass defense is a little soft so look for Brad Johnson (1.299 yards passing) to attack it with short passes.

This game could go either way, but one thing is for certain……..it will be a good football game.

The Patriots just flat out kicked the Bills butt on their own field yesterday!  Tom Brady completed 18 of 27 passes for 195 yards and 2 TDs.  Corey Dillon carried the ball 14 times for 47 yards (3.4 ypc) and 2 TDs.  Laurence Maroney carried the ball 8 times for 29 yards (3.6 ypc) and returned a kick-off 74 yards in the game.  TE Ben Watson caught 5 passes for 60 yards.  WRs Doug Gabriel and Chad Jackson each caught TD passes.

The defense played a fantastic game.  Junior Seau had 9 tackles and Tedy Bruschi had 7 tackles and a fumble recovery.  DT Vince Wilfork had a good game with 4 tackles and a fumble recovery.  CB Ashanti Samuel had 3 tackles, defensed two passes and intercepted a pass.  The Bills only ran the ball for 75 yards on 25 carries (3.0 ypc).  The Patriots only allowed the Blls to complete 16 of 25 passes for 181 net yards passing.

A nice solid win for the Patriots who have their eyes on home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

 

The Patriots are running away from the rest of the division and need to keep beating down the competition.  The Bills are 2-4 and trying to rebound from 2 painful losses in a row.

When the Patriots have the ball, it will be no mystery what they will try to do.  The Bills allow 117.2 yards rushing per game and 4.2 yards per carry, so look for the Patriots to come out running the football.  RBs Laurence Maroney (332 yards rushing) and Corey Dillon (281 yards rushing) have been running behind one of the best offensvie lines in football and they should give the Bills all kinds of problems.  The offensive line has also been blocking great for Tom Brady when he drops back to pass, as they have only allowed 5 sacks this season.  The Patriots will probably spread the field when passing, as Brady doesn’t really have a favorite target this season.  Brady will go with his best match-up when throwing the ball and will be sure to pick on Terrence McGee, who’s only 5’8″ and has been getting burned lately.

The Bills prefer to run the ball with Willis McGahee (505 yards rushing), but that will be tough against a Patriots defense that only allows 85.6 yards rushing per game and 3.6 yards per carry.  The Patriots do allow alot of yards passing (222.4 yards per game), but will JP Losman (1,121 yards passing) be able to take advantage of that?  Lee Evans has the speed to get deep (36 rec, 419 yards), but Losman will need protection to throw the ball down the field as the Bills have allowed 19 sacks this season.

The Patriots won the first meeting 19-17 in Foxboro, so this could be a closer game than anticipated….but I can’t pick JP Losman to beat Tom Brady in a football game.  The Patriots will win a close game on a mental error by JP Losman….just like the last time they played.

These two guys were not expected to play at the level they have been and it’s lifting the whole defense’s level of play.  Ty Warren has 29 tackles, 2 sacks and a fumble recovery.  Warren also has a safety that won a game against the Dolphins.  Jarvis Green, the other defensive end, has 13 tackles, 4.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.

The Patriots have done pretty well so far this season.  One thing they need to work on is getting rookie kicker Stephen Gostkowski to get more elevation on his kicks, as he has had a little problem with blocks.  The defense has been pretty solid so far, especially against the run.  The Patriots only allow 85.6 yards rushing and 3.6 yards per carry.  The Patriots have given up 222.4 yards per game passing, but they don’t give up any points as they only allow 14.8 points per game.

I am more impressed with QB Tom Brady this season than I ever have been before.  He lost his top 2 receivers and Brady still finds a way to get his passing yards.  Brady has 5 receivers with 10 or more catches, but only one receiver (TE Ben Watson) has more than 200 yards.  The Patriots running game has been what is really powering the offense right now.  The Patriots are averaging 139.0 yards rushing per game this season.  Rookie Laurence Maroney (332 rushing yards) and Corey Dillon (281 yards rushing) are providing a wicked one-two punch.

The Patriots have signed WR Jabar Gaffney.  Gaffney will provide depth at wide receiver and he should catch a few passes because Brady likes to use everyone on the roster in the passing game.

The Patriots have done some good things on special teams, but their rookie kicker is having a rough start to his career.  The Patriots have been outstanding covering punts allowing only 3.4 yards per return.  The Patriots need to get a little better covering kick-offs as they have allowed 24.2 yards per return.

Rookie kicker Stephen Gostkowski only has connected on 5 of 8 FGs, but he has made all 13 XPTs.  Punter Josh Miller has done a good job with placement on his punts as 36.4% of his kicks have been downed inside the 20 yard line.

Kevin Faulk returns both kick-offs and punts and he’s done a good job this season.  Faulk is averaging 13.5 yards per punt return and 21.0 yards per kick-off return.  Laurence Maroney returned kick-offs at the start of the season and did a good job, averaging 23.5 yards per return….but he has been needed on offense.