On The Beat: 5 questions with Minneapolis writer Ben Goessling: When Vikes' defense has an issue, solution is 'Put Harrison Smith on it'

Every week, we go deep on the Patriots’ next opponent with our “5 questions…” feature where we check in with a writer who covers New England’s next opponent. For this week’s game against the Vikings, we talk with our buddy Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Check him out on Twitter here.

1. This one is a big topic around here this week — how did the Vikings lose to the Bills?



That's still a bit of a mystery around here as well; even GM Rick Spielman said earlier this month that the team that played that day "wasn't the Minnesota Vikings out there." Turnovers at inopportune moments were certainly a big part of the story -- Kirk Cousins lost two fumbles deep in Vikings territory -- and it's possible the team was distracted, given the fact Everson Griffen's mental health issues had resulted in a pair of run-ins with police the day before. We should also point out, though, that the Bills attacked the Vikings with many of the concepts they struggled to stop early this season, attacking their linebackers with wheel routes and testing the pattern-matching skills of their young nickel corners with their tight ends. The Vikings have improved in many of those facets since then, though the Patriots, I'm sure, will still try to test them in some of the ways the Bills beat them earlier this year.

2. If you’re Mike Zimmer, what’s the key to slowing Tom Brady and the New England offense?

Being able to pressure him with four pass rushers. Brady's struggled against the blitz to some degree this year, and the Vikings will probably have a few looks cooked up for him. But teams haven't blitzed Brady with a high degree of frequency this year, and the Vikings probably aren't the team to try it; they're not a heavy-volume blitz team in general, and they've largely avoided bringing extra pressure after quarterbacks of Brady's stature (like Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers), who theoretically know where to beat it. The Vikings blitzed Rodgers only three times on Sunday night, and they got nine of their 10 sacks against the Lions without bringing extra pressure. If they're going to beat the Patriots, pressuring Brady with their excellent front four will be a big part of how they do it.

3. Is there an under-the-radar type we’re not thinking of who has a chance at making a big impact Sunday?

Cornerback Holton Hill, an undrafted free agent out of Texas, could be asked to play a big role on Sunday afternoon with Xavier Rhodes' status in doubt. Hill would likely be in line to start if Rhodes -- who injured his hamstring on Sunday night and didn't practice on Wednesday and Thursday — can't go. And if Hill is on the field, you can bet Brady will test him. He's a big corner who can run, though he's had some of the issues that any rookie would have in his position. He could get a chance to come up big on Sunday.

4. Are we oversimplifying things if we're thinking it’s going to be Harrison Smith vs. Rob Gronkowski most of the afternoon?

Not necessarily. The Vikings like to use Smith in a lot of different ways, and quite often, they've got him near the line of scrimmage, either to blitz or show pressure. But more often than not, when they have an issue, their solution is, "Put Harrison Smith on it." He's kind of their version of duct tape in that way -- the universal fix for a lot of their problems. They've largely been a single-high safety team, but they've shown a few more two-high in recent weeks, so it could be Smith over the top of the field, or matched up on Gronkowski specifically. Safety Jayron Kearse plays some nickel corner in the Vikings' big nickel package, so it's possible he could get some time on Gronkowski as well.

5. The Vikings win Sunday if…

…they can get a lead, take the Patriots' running backs out of the game and put pressure on Brady with four pass rushers. Zimmer said he thinks the Patriots will try to run the ball on the Vikings, but that might not happen as much if the Vikings can jump out to an early lead.

Ben's Pick: Patriots 24, Vikings 20 -- In the end, Brady's success at home -- especially late in the season -- and the difficulty the Vikings might have slowing Brady down (especially if Rhodes is out or limited) makes me lean toward the Patriots in this one. Kirk Cousins has struggled with turnovers at times this season, and if he forces a couple throws like he did against the Bears two weeks ago, the Patriots will be there to pounce.