After a solid 28-18 win over the Vikings, the Patriots now hold the best record in the NFL. It may not always be pretty but I'll keep taking wins like this.
Offense
First off, I do not like the post-Moss offense at all. It's incredibly ugly and there are no big plays. 3-and-outs happen way too often which puts a lot of pressure on the young defense. It would be better if the Pats could at least move the chains a bit to change field position if they had to punt on 4th down.
In the first half, the Pats had difficulty rushing against the Vikings' front. The Williams pair is always difficult to move. However, BJGE was able to bounce back in the 2nd half and finished with 112 yards on the ground and a pair of TDs thanks to some great blocking by Crumpler.
As I mentioned before, the offense was ugly for most of the game. Tate had a long TD but it was the result of staying alive in a scramble drill and Brady finding him streaking down the left sideline.
The offensive line played pretty well in this game and did not allow a sack.
Defense
The defense is still a work in progress but they seem to be holding to the bend-but-don't-break philosophy. They gave up a ton of yards but at the end of the day, they only allowed 18 points.
Peterson is a beast and he was picking up 8 and 9 yards at a time. However, the Pats defense tightened up in the red zone when it mattered most. Mayo had a great stop on a leaping Peterson at the goal line but the refs upheld the TD call. There was another great goal-line stand at the end of the first half when Childress gambled on 4th down instead of kicking the short FG.
Speaking of Mayo, I may have been quick to judge him in the past. He's been playing solid football and he added 14 more tackles.
It kills me to say this but Favre actually played pretty well. He took what was available on the short throws and made pretty good decisions before getting hit under the chin. His lone INT came when McCourty made a great play to rip the ball away from Harvin.
Special Teams
Gostkowski and Mesko struggled on this windy day. Gostkowski also sent a kickoff out of bounds.
Other Thoughts
The Pats did a good job of containing Randy Moss with pressure at the line and having a safety over the top. He was limited to only 1 catch for 8 yards. Perhaps Moss regrets leaving NE now because he still isn't getting the ball enough in a contract year and now he's playing for a losing team. To add to the drama, he held another strange postgame press conference. Oh Randy...
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