One if by air: Patriots light up Vikings, 31-7
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(AP) The Minnesota Vikings were ready to show the New England Patriots - and a prime-time audience - that they're really a contender.
Tom Brady handed them a humbling defeat and hushed another loud crowd.
Brady beat a relentless rushing defense by simply passing over it for 372 yards and touchdowns to four different receivers, and the Patriots pounded Minnesota 31-7 on Monday night to win their sixth straight regular-season road game.
"If you can duplicate it, it's a blueprint to go after the Vikings," coach Brad Childress said. "My hat's off to them. They did a great job."
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New England had four sacks and four interceptions, forcing Brad Johnson into a handful of uncharacteristic mistakes.
"It's probably one of the most embarrassing games I've been a part of," said Johnson, who went 20-of-33 for 185 yards and three interceptions, which sent him to the sideline for the final 12 minutes while backup Brooks Bollinger took over.
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 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."
The Patriots (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.
"He found every weakness," Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield said. "As soon as he got the ball, he knew exactly where he was going."
Minnesota's only score was a 71-yard punt return by Mewelde Moore in the third quarter, but New England rookie Laurence Maroney - playing in the stadium where he became a college star - answered that with a 74-yard kickoff return.
Up next for the Pats? A home game against Indianapolis (7-0), which is clearly a big one for November.
"We're happy to win," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said, "but it doesn't get any easier."
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.
"It was just good to come into a hostile environment and get a win," defensive end Richard Seymour said. "That's the biggest storyline - just to come in here, fight the crowd and play good, sound football all away along the board."
Save for an up-for-grabs pass up the sideline that Darren Sharper snagged for a one-handed interception as he fell down in the first quarter, Brady - now 10-0 when he plays inside - 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 fewer and entered the game ranked seventh in the league in total yards allowed.
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.
"Tom is such a smart guy," Watson said. "He studies. You could ask him anything, and he knows it."
With Brady slinging those usual darts all over the field to 10 different receivers, 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, but 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.
"You can't sulk your head too much, because we have a long season. We haven't reach the halfway point yet. We have a long way to go," Sharper said. "We know we're a good team, and we know they're a good team. It was their game tonight." Notes: Moore caught four passes for 91 yards. ... 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.
