Vikings big test for Pats’ run game
FOXBORO - Whenever possible, the Patriots want to have balance in their offense. Everything operates better if they can run the ball effectively and avoid having Tom Brady throw the football every play. A balanced attack is what was mapped out against the Jets, and that led to victory. It’s been a proven for- mula in other impressive wins during the season. But can the Patri- ots go that route against the Vikings, who are particularly good at stifling running attacks? Do the Patriots shy away from Sony Michel? After all, the Patriots game plan specifically toward their opponent. So leading with the run might not be the optimal choice against Mike Zimmer’s defense. That’s just one of the storylines that will play out in today’s matchup with the Vikings at Gillette Stadium. Will the Patriots buck the usual plan and attack the Vikings strength for the sake of balance? Or will Brady throw it more, not that the Vikings pass defense can be called a weak area? It’s fifth best in the league. In this case, it’s more like pick your poison. “I think the reason we game plan a certain way and practice and prepare hard is to try to be successful in each area of our game plan. You always want to be balanced and maintain your balance if you can,” said offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. “It’s certainly a better way to play football if you can do that and not tell the defense what you’re trying to do on each play. But the flow of the game will determine many times whether or not you throw it more than you run it, run it more than you throw it, or somewhere in the middle. Our intent is to do everything we’re trying to do in the game well. Certainly, that is not going to happen each week.” Against the Jets, it was a 36-31 run-pass split with a slightly higher emphasis on the run game. Maybe that flips toward the pass this game, but maybe not as dramatically as one might imagine. The Vikings front features Linval Joseph and Tom Johnson on the inside, with Everson Griffen and Danielle Hunter on the outside. Joseph and Griffen are Pro Bowl players. Watching their games, they’ve been particularly deadly stopping runs on the perimeter, but can be had on occasion between the tackles. That’s where the Bears (148 rushing yards) had some success when they beat the Vikings earlier in the year. The Saints, in a 3020 win, also managed to keep a balanced attack between Drew Brees throwing the football, and Mark Ingram (13 carries, 63 yards) and Alvin Kamara (13 carries, 45 yards) running the ball. In last week’s win over Green Bay, the Viking’s weren’t able to completely shut down the Packers run game with Aaron Jones gaining 72 yards on 17 carries. Maybe the Patriots will at least see if they can find a few cracks on the interior behind Shaq Mason or Joe Thuney. Perhaps they’ll continue to rely on the strength of their offensive line, and attack in spurts on the ground game to once again set up Brady and the passing game. It’s no accident the Patriots have won 14 straight regular-season games when rushing for more than 100 yards as a team. In the 27-13 win over the Jets Sunday, the offense totaled 215 yards on the ground, including 133 from Michel. They’d obviously like to continue the pattern if they can manage to exploit the Vikings defense. “They’ve got good safeties, good linebackers and their D-line can rush and stop the run. It’s definitely going to be a challenge, both in the pass game and run game,” said Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski. “We’ve just got to go out and be prepared for both. We want to be able to run the ball. We want to be able to pass the ball, so we’ve got to have a good overall game versus guys like this.” The Patriots will be able to come at the Vikings with a full complement of weapons. They’re the healthiest they’ve been since the start of the season. Running back Rex Burkhead is expected to return. He’ll provide another layer of depth at the position, and add some versatility. He can run and catch passes from just about anywhere. “It’s always good to have Rex back in there,” said James White. “He’s a versatile guy, makes plays on special teams. Offensively, running the ball, catching the ball. He just gives us more weapons.” The Patriots were certainly treating the Vikings with a lot of respect during the week. They’ve faced a few other top-ranked defenses, namely Houston, Jacksonville, Chicago, and Buffalo with the only loss coming Week 2 to the Jaguars. “There’s not a lot of flaws in this defense,” said Patriots center David Andrews. “I think it’ll be one of the biggest challenges we’ve had all year.” The Vikings, at 6-4-1, are a little more desperate team than the Patriots. They’re in wildcard position, but certainly not secure. The Patriots, meanwhile, are trying to maintain homefield and perhaps gain the top seed. Zimmer, of course, was expecting anything and everything from the Patriots. “They do a really good job of scheming. They don’t get away from the run game. They’ll give you a lot of different personnel groups,” he said during a conference call. “I think Josh McDaniels does a great job of keeping you off-balance with some of the trick plays, some of the screens, some of the motions that they do. They give Brady a lot of information before the ball is snapped as well and that’s always been big. These guys and the Saints, they’re all really tough teams to defend because of what they do schematically, but I also think they use their players really good.” PREDICTION: Patriots 27, Vikings 23