New England Patriots vs. Minnesota Vikings: Five Players To Watch

Sep 7, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback

(14) throws as Minnesota Vikings defensive end

(97) pressures during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

5. Everson Griffen

As I mentioned earlier, Minnesota doesn’t have an electrifying pass rusher like Cameron Wake, but they do have a few guys that know how to get after the quarterback, and Everson Griffen is one of them. Griffen notched two sacks in the Vikings’ season opener against the Rams, and he has the potential to lead Minnesota to another good day against the Pats’ offense.

Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer need to have a big bounce-back games against Griffen, because if he gets going, that will get the entire Vikings’ defensive line going, which would spell bad news for Tom Brady and company. Brady needs time to find favorable matchups, but if he is pressured…well, we all saw what happened in Miami.

This should be an interesting matchup. Hopefully our boys come out on top.