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If you haven't already done so, maybe you should start your full ticket and/or ticket stub collection today.
From espn.go.com...
Brady-led Patriots offense outclasses Vikings in 31-7 MNF win
MINNEAPOLIS (ESPN.com news services) -- Minnesota counts itself among the many NFL
franchises trying to copy the New England Patriots' plan for
success. The Vikings learned on Monday night that they still have a
lot of catching up to do.
Tom Brady beat Minnesota's relentless rushing defense by simply
throwing over it for 372 yards and touchdowns to four different
receivers, and the Patriots pounded the Vikings 31-7 on Monday
night to win their sixth straight regular-season road game.
New England's defense had four sacks and four interceptions, forcing Brad Johnson into a handful of uncharacteristic mistakes and a fourth-quarter benching.
"The plan was to come out and put the ball in the air a little
bit," Brady said, grinning. "The receivers made a lot of great
plays, and it was a lot of fun, needless to say."
Still firing well into the fourth quarter, Brady didn't let up --
going 29-of-43 to beat a defense that had been pretty decent
against the pass, too.
The Patriots have won each of their last three road games, each by at least 20 points, in Cincinnati on Oct. 1 (38-13), in Buffalo on Oct. 22 (28-6) and in Minnesota on Monday (31-7). Since 1970, four other teams have won three in a row on the road, each by at least 20 points, the 2002 Raiders, 1992 Vikings, 1984 49ers and 1971 Colts.
New England (6-1) more than doubled Minnesota's average of
allowing 15.8 points per game, setting the tone for an easy victory
with an opening drive on which Brady completed all six of his
throws for 94 yards.
"Whatever holes we had in the coverage, he found it," Vikings
safety Darren Sharper said.
Johnson was no match for the unflappable, three-time Pro Bowl
quarterback. Picked off three times, Johnson was 20-of-33 for 185
yards and forced to watch from the sideline for the final 12
minutes when backup Brooks Bollinger went in.
"The turnovers played into that," Vikings coach Brad Childress
said, when asked about the switch. "It's important you have
respect for the football."
When asked who would start for the Vikings next week at San Francisco, Childress said he "anticipated" it would be Johnson.
Minnesota's only score was a 71-yard punt return by Mewelde
Moore in the third quarter, but Patriots rookie Laurence Maroney --
playing in the stadium where he became a college star -- answered
that with a 74-yard kickoff return.
New England now has a big matchup, at least for November, at
home against Indianapolis (7-0) on Sunday.
"We're happy to win," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said,
"but it doesn't get any easier. We have a tough challenge coming
up this week against the Colts."
The Vikings (4-3) proved they weren't in their opponent's class
just yet. Playing their first Monday night home game in five years,
they were consistently outschemed and outworked. The jazzed-up
crowd of 63,819 lost the buzz by halftime.
"You come into this environment, and you see the fans leaving
midway through the fourth quarter," said Brady, who hasn't lost in
10 NFL games indoors.
Well, he's usually pretty good wherever he plays. Save for an
up-for-grabs pass up the sideline that Sharper snagged for a
one-handed interception as he fell down in the first quarter, Brady
was brilliant.
The last time he was here, Brady was leading Michigan to a win
over the University of Minnesota in 1998. And, boy, it sure looked
like Brady was facing those defenseless Gophers again -- not a
Vikings team that had held every prior opponent to 19 points or
less and entered the game ranked seventh in the league in total
yards allowed.
First-year defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin has helped create a
dominant unit, but his charges were embarrassed on each of New
England's three first-half scoring drives.
A frighteningly easy opening march ended with a 6-yard touchdown
pass to Reche Caldwell. The Patriots drove 93 yards in eight plays
to get a 23-yard field goal by Stephen Gostkowski in the second
quarter. And just before halftime, they moved 74 yards in 11 plays
to take a 17-0 lead on a 9-yard scoring toss to tight end Ben
Watson.
Dillon and Maroney came into the game, combined, with nearly 700
yards rushing, but their impact was minimal except for Maroney's
momentous kickoff return.
No, it was all Brady in this one, slinging his usual darts all
over the field to 10 different receivers. He started the game in
the shotgun, with an empty backfield, and lined up in that
five-wide set several times throughout the first half. Ten of New
England's first 11 plays were passes.
Minnesota just couldn't keep up.
Childress has built the Vikings into a run-first, low-risk
outfit that relies on a sound defense and a take-what-it-can-get
offense to succeed. One problem with that is they're not made for
big rallies.
Their largest deficit to date was 17-3 against Detroit, and they
overcame that with a 23-point fourth quarter three weeks ago. But
after Troy Brown's 7-yard touchdown catch, set up by Maroney's
return, Minnesota was down 24-7. On the next possession, Troy
Williamson dropped a should-be touchdown on a long pass up the
sideline when he failed to adjust to the ball as it arrived.
The Vikings, then, were out of opportunities. After a
career-best 169 yards last week at Seattle, Chester Taylor was
bottled up -- gaining only 22 yards on 10 carries. He suffered a
shoulder stinger in the third quarter and was a non-factor the
entire night.
Brady gave rookie Chad Jackson his chance to score late in the
third, a 10-yard completion that Jackson deftly converted by
virtually crawling into the end zone to keep from falling down.
Mike Vrabel intercepted Johnson on the next possession, and when
Minnesota had the ball again Bollinger was behind center. New
England then provided the punctuation to a near-perfect night,
forcing a three-and-out with three straight sacks.
"It's probably one of the most embarrassing games I've been a
part of," Johnson said.
Game notes
This was Brady's first four-touchdown game since beating
Buffalo on Dec. 27, 2003, a span of 47 starts. He also came in
without a completion longer than 35 yards this season, but he had
two passes of 40 yards or more in the first half. ... Moore caught
four passes for 91 yards.
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