Sunday, September 14, 2014

TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis

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For the first time in his career, Tom Brady was the quarterback for a team in last place in the American Football Conference East division.  The Patriots lost the season opener against their division rival Miami Dolphins, 33-20. It was a tough loss for the Patriots, but they will look to avoid 0-2 and get into the win column when they travel to TCF Bank Stadium and battle the 1-0 Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota easily cruised to victory, beating the St. Louis Rams, 34-6.

New England, as always, is led by former Super Bowl Champion, Tom Brady. Brady played well in the season opener, but couldn’t do enough to get the win. He threw for 248 yards and a touchdown without an interception, but was sacked 4 times for 23 yards. The team couldn’t get their rushing attack going at all in the loss, as Shane Vereem was their leading rusher with just 36 yards and a touchdown. Stevan Ridley added just 21 yards on 8 carries. Julian Edelman was the only wide receiver that got going, catching 6 passes for 95 yards. Tight end Rob Gronkowski made just 4 catches for 40 yards and a touchdown.

The Vikings, led by Matt Cassel, earned the win against their division rivals. Cassel threw for 170 yards with 2 touchdowns and was sacked just once. He finished with a QB rating of 113.7 and is keeping Teddy Bridgewater on the bench for the time being. On the ground, Adrian Peterson ran for 74 yards on 21 carries, but was one-upped by wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, who ran the ball 3 times for 102 yards and a touchdown. He also added 3 receptions for 26 yards. Greg Jennings led the way with 6 catches for 58 yards and a touchdown.

Injuries to Watch

New England Patriots

09/07/14 DT Chris Jones Ankle questionable Sunday vs. Minnesota
09/07/14 DL Michael Buchanan Ankle questionable Sunday vs. Minnesota
09/04/14 CB Brandon Browner Suspension expected to miss weeks 1-4 of regular season
09/04/14 WR Greg Orton Achilles IR
09/04/14 RB Tyler Gaffney Knee IR

Minnesota Vikings

09/08/14 CB Xavier Rhodes Groin questionable Sunday vs. New England
09/07/14 LB Brandon Watts Knee questionable Sunday vs. New England
09/07/14 LB Michael Mauti Foot questionable Sunday vs. New England
09/07/14 FB Zach Line Ankle questionable Sunday vs. New England
09/04/14 S Jamarca Sanford Back IR
09/04/14 WR Jerome Simpson Suspension expected to miss weeks 1-3 of the regular season
09/04/14 S Mistral Raymond Concussion IR

Guy's Pick: Take New England

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