Pats: 20
Vikings: 17
On offense:
-Brady will continue to struggle, due to the O-line, but he'll have at least one TD, and will do enough to win... Something like a 1-2 TD game for 200-something yds.
-Although they'll primarily pass, we'll see a bit McDaniels call more running plays.
-Gostowski will score at least 2 Fgs, and might even seal the game for us late into the 4th.
-Gronk will shake off some rust, but won't be the Gronk that we're used to. I don't predict anything more than an 85 yd game.
-Dobson will be an asset, but won't alleviate most of the concerns on the O.
-Edelmen will accumulate most of the looks.
-At least one of Thompkins, Amendola, or Lafell will be a factor.
-I expect Tim Wright to gradually become further acclimated in the system.
-The frustrating rotations on the O-line will continue, causing Brady to be sacked at least twice. Solder and Vollmer will stay in place most of the game, but I expect Wendell and Devey to be rotated in and out at several points. Regardless of whether they win or lose this game, Brady will still be under constant pressure. In place of Wendell and Devey will be Stork and Flemming. The process to fade out Wendell and Devey will gradually begin to take place, but they won't lose the starting jobs until about week 6 or so. Canon will continue to settle in at LG.
On defense:
-The coaching staff wises up, and uses Revis more effectively. I think he might even be the one to seal the game for the Pats, in the event that it comes down to Minnesota having the ball late in the 4th. Mccourty and Dennard will also play solidly.
-Adrian Peterson will have a field day against a suspect run D, and run for 175 yds or so. However, as a result of the Vikings relying so much on him, he'll be gassed midway into the 4th, and their game plan will become more passing based. Personally, I don't believe the run D will play as poorly as it did last week: Easley and Mayo will shake off some of the rust, Collins will get beat several times, but will make plays, and Vellano will continue to suck. The fact that AP will have more yds than Moreno will be due to the fact that AP is simply a harder running back to stop.
-The coaching staff will continue to misuse Chandler Jones, prompting much frustration. A quarter way into the season, however, I predict that they will finally realize the error of their ways.
So overall, it's gonna be a long, tough game that won't alleviate most of our concerns. However, these 3 things give me confidence.
A: BB's track record at avoiding back to back losses is quite good. Granted it's nothing but a record, but the Pats have ended up winning tougher games on the heels of bad losses than this one.
B: The Pats are much better at dealing with colder weather than they are with humid, warm climates. As a result, I think they'll be less gassed by the second half.
C: I'm not totally sure that one game is a proper enough sample size to judge this team. Yes, there were a myriad of problems in game 1. But we were playing a divisional opponent, in a climate where we have historically struggled in. I don't think those were the prime factors for why the Pats lost last week, but they were definitely factors nonetheless.
