Patriots Pummel The Vikings

Good news everyone, the Patriots wont be going 0-16! Whew! Besides all of that, it was great to see the squad come to life on Sunday. Not having Adrian Peterson available was obviously a big factor, but with that big of a route I think it's safe to say the Patriots could have most likely survived Peterson having a solid day.

 The offense looked good and bad at times. The bad is clearly the receivers. Outside of Julien Edelman, Kendrell Thompkins and Rob Gronkowski it's obvious Tom Brady has zero trust in anyone else right now. Danny Amendola is a ghost yet again, Brandon LaFell is starting to prove his doubters right. I was defending him last week on Face book saying to give him a chance but if I see him not even thrown at for a second week I'm gonna start to think he's a bust myself. As for Aaron Dobson, I know it's the start of his second year but injuries and ineffective games are starting to ruin his career.

 Besides that, how about the positive? The offensive line was improved, however it's clear there's still work to do. I mentioned in last week's blog that the Patriots needed to add a blocking Tight End to the mix, and they just might have found that in Cameron Fleming. If last week was an indication of things to come from Fleming it could be a big positive for the offense. Yes they need receivers but they need a tight end that is able to block as well. Any Pats fan that can remember the days of Daniel Graham and Matt Light working together to make Dwight a non factor in their games knows how important this is.
Freeney

 Another positive is the commitment the team is showing to the running game. Even the harshest McDaniels critic should appreciate it. Even when Brady was as quiet as he was, the offense continued to move due to the running game. There was even a point where the running game started to throw the Vikings off, not knowing what was coming next. Giving a team with Tom Brady at the helm the element of surprise is a recipe for success. IF, and I emphasize IF the defense and running game are legit this year, I like our chances in the post season

 I'm running a little short on time, so I'll finish up here. I was very happy with the defense. This secondary looks like it's living up to the hype so far. Chandler Jones had arguably his best game as a pro playing on the edge. Adding a healthier Sealver Siliga to the mix with Vince Wilfork also made a positive impact on the running game. Outside of the first drive..All around A+ performance from this unit.

The Patriots still have some issues to address (receivers, OL) I still want to see more from the front 7 before I'm sold on them as well. But you have to be encouraged from what you've seen so far from this team. Outside of a second half collapse in Miami, they've played some pretty damn good football.