Patriots notebook: Vikings are Patriots’ next obstacle in push for AFC’s No. 1 seed
At 6-4-1, Minnesota is one of the toughest hurdles left on New England's schedule.
FOXBOROUGH — “We’re on to Minnesota,” said a smiling Matthew Slater, offering his best Bill Belichick impression Monday, as attention shifts toward the Patriots’ fourth and final out-of-conference opponent of the regular season.
“They have a lot of extremely talented players that are near the top of the league in what they do in their respective positions,” Slater said of the Vikings, who will travel to Gillette Stadium for a 4:25 p.m. tilt Sunday. “They pose a lot of issues for us. It’s a team that we don’t know very well, so we’re going to have to spend some extra time getting to know them and familiarizing ourselves with what they do schematically.”
Boasting an $84 million quarterback in Kirk Cousins, along with a duo of dangerous wide receivers in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, Minnesota’s offense poses a tough challenge for New England’s variable secondary. Thielen touts the second-highest receiving yards in the league (1,138), behind only the Falcons’ Julio Jones (1,305). The pair combined for 16 catches for 202 yards Sunday night in a 24-17 home win over the Packers.
“When you don’t have to go look at a depth chart and you know exactly who’s going to be across the line of scrimmages, that lets you know the caliber of [Diggs and Thielen],” said cornerback Jason McCourty, who watched part of Sunday night’s matchup before getting pulled away by his youngest daughter.
McCourty expressed satisfaction with the defense’s performance against the Jets — particularly the fact that they were able to hold New York to just 13 points — but he noted the group is still searching for consistency.
“It’s hard to say whether we’re in a good place or bad place,” McCourty said. “At the end of the day, you are where you are. I think for us, you come off that game Sunday saying, ‘What can we improve on? How well can we get to know Minnesota? [Because that] will enable us to put our best foot forward.’”
At 6-4-1, the Vikings are one of the toughest hurdles left on the Patriots’ schedule. With the Steelers falling to the Broncos Sunday, New England (8-3) is currently seeded second in the AFC. But McCourty said the team isn’t paying too close attention to what’s happening around the league.
“At the end of the day, if you don’t take care of what you have to take care of, it really doesn’t matter what anybody else is doing,” he said. “For us, when you start to do that and you’re looking and this and you’re looking at that, you’re losing focus on what’s in front of you.”
No problem with refs
The tight officiating by Shawn Hochuli’s crew in New England’s 27-13 win over the Jets on Sunday didn’t bother coach Bill Belichick.
“Looking at the game, I’d say most all the calls I would agree with,” Belichick said on a conference call Monday afternoon. “I saw what they saw and probably would have called some of the same things that they called.”
The Patriots were flagged 11 times for 105 yards. They exceeded their previous season-highs for penalties (7) and penalty yardage (64) in the first half alone.
Though Belichick acknowledged double-digit infractions is not what the team needs, he said he didn’t take issue with the majority of the calls.
“I thought they were good calls, and we have to do a better job of coaching and executing our technique,” he said. “We just got to do a better job with our fundamentals and our techniques and continue to emphasize, as coaching points, being in good football position and doing the things the right way.”
Though some players expressed disgruntlement with the officiating, they still concurred that things need to change.
“If we continue with that trend, it’s going to come back to bite us at some point,” special teams captain Matthew Slater said.
Burkhead activated
The Patriots have activated running back Rex Burkhead to the 53-man roster, the team announced Monday.
Burkhead was placed on injured reserve after suffering a neck injury against the Detroit Lions in Week 3. He returned to practice Nov. 8 and is eligible to play Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. To make room for Burkhead, the Patriots cut offensive lineman Matt Tobin.
“We’re very fortunate for the backs we have,” center David Andrews told reporters at Gillette Stadium Monday. “Getting Rex back is just another thing we can add. He’s such a great player. He’s got great vision, [and] he runs hard.”
Burkhead will join captain James White and rookie Sony Michel in the backfield, adding depth to both the running and receiving game. In three games this season, Burkhead totaled 117 yards from scrimmage. Last year, he logged 64 carries for 264 yards and five touchdowns, while adding 30 receptions for 254 yards and three touchdowns.
The Patriots are coming off their best rushing performance of the season, racking up 215 yards against the Jets.
