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Todd: Before trying to figure out what happened to the Patriots down in the heat of South Florida, a couple of passing thoughts.

Last weekend Mike and I decided to close the book on the 2014 MLB season by attending a Red Sox/Blue Jays game at Fenway.  Sad to think that if you were walking around the streets of Boston a year ago at this time, the buzz throughout the city would have been palpable.  But this year, you can barely tell if there’s a game being played at the old ball yard.  Easy to understand the lack of energy for a team that’s essentially been out of contention the entire summer, but a bit depressing nonetheless.

But hey, we did get to see a Sox win (rare this season) and the first of what should be many triples in the major league career of Mookie Betts.  No question that watching a hitter leg out a three-bagger in person is one of the most exciting things to witness at a ballgame.

Never thought I’d look forward to typing out how bad the Patriots looked in the second half against the Dolphins, but first I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the big story in the NFL this week.  When the league first handed out its punishment to Ray Rice a few weeks ago, I mentioned that the two-game suspension did not make sense when stacked up against penalties doled out for transgressions that appeared to be less significant.

But after further review, the NFL has never penalized a player more than three games for acts of domestic abuse or related assault.  More than ever, this sends such a mixed message to a league that has seen its female fan base grow exponentially.  In a week where Commissioner Roger Goodell and his office have come under legitimately deserved scrutiny, let us not forget what was witnessed on that video inside the elevator and realize that the NFL, and society in general, need to recognize the much larger problem and take some appropriate action.

Now on to the Pats, who did nothing last Sunday to alleviate my concerns about their offensive line.  Ironically enough, I thought the interior linemen (which went into the game with the biggest question marks) actually performed a little better than veteran tackles Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer.  While Tom Brady should not be left completely off the hook for some of his poor throws, he was knocked out of any rhythm early on due to what felt like an unrelenting Miami pass rush.  If the o-line continues to provide that little protection or time for Brady, the occasional missed connection with his receivers will be rendered moot.

Then there was the defensive line of scrimmage, which the Pats also badly lost because they exerted little pressure on Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill (one sack) and could not stop quickly-becoming-a-nemesis Knowshon Moreno from running roughshod over them for the third time in less than a calendar year.  Worse, the 3-4 defensive front reduced Chandler Jones’ playmaking ability to barely a footnote.  He needs to be consistently lined up on the outside edge if he’s going to create migraines for opposing quarterbacks and those who have to block against him.

Thanks to that abysmal performance, the Pats continue a rather ignominious streak in their franchise history by never having won a game against the Dolphins on the road during the day in the month of September (their win in Week 1 of the 2011 season came on a Monday night).

Suddenly the schedule doesn’t get any easier for New England, as they travel to the Midwest this weekend to play a Vikings squad that played well in Week 1, and if I remember correctly has a pretty good running back.  Hard to believe this is only the second time in Adrian Peterson’s career that he’s facing the Pats (25 carries, 92 yards, TD) and the first time at home.

Speaking of, this Sunday is Minnesota’s 2014 home opener, noteworthy because they are playing in their temporary outdoor home at TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus.  The Vikings open their new stadium in two years on the site of the now former Metrodome, which is scheduled to host the Super Bowl in 2018.

Hopefully playing outside will give the Pats one less obstacle (a noisy dome) to overcome, but I hardly think this game will be as easy as I thought a couple weeks ago.  On the other hand, I can’t envision the Pats starting the season 0-2.  Patriots 24, Vikings 23.

We also return with our weekly NFL picks, because you readers demand them and because we bloggers need to fill space.  Titans over Cowboys, Seahawks over Chargers and Broncos over Chiefs.

Mike: Before I get on to football, I also want to touch on the Red Sox. While Todd was right, and there was a distinct lack of energy around Fenway leading up to the game, there are still some bright spots.

Mostly those bright spots come in the form of a glimpse into the future of the team. While this season has been a tough one, one benefit of being out of it so early is that we get a chance to see some of the younger prospects on the big stage.

Betts' triple against the Jays showed that maybe, just maybe we could have a partial replacement for Jacoby Ellsbury in the pipeline. I also have been encouraged by the play of catcher Christian Vazquez as he gets his shot at the Bigs. A good, young catcher is a rare thing, and it looks like the Red Sox have one of those there.

While this season is a lost one for the Red Sox, take heart, the future doesn't seem as dark.

Speaking of dark, that was the mood of most Patriots fans after last Sunday's debacle in Miami. As Todd pointed out, Miami in September is typically a horror show for New England, but I really thought that they would overcome that trend this year.

And things don't get any easier as the Patriots travel to Minnesota to play one of the first regularly-scheduled outdoor home games (not counting one in 2010 played outdoors due to a Metrodome roof collapse) in years.

Fortunately, the Pats will have it easy weather-wise. I wouldn't want to be going to play outdoors in Minnesota in December. But that's the only thing they've got going easy for them as the Vikings will pose a tough test to a team that really needs a win.

Like Todd, I can't see an 0-2 start for New England. Call it a 28-21 Pats win.

As for the other games, I'll take Miami over Buffalo, the Texans over the Raiders and the Packers over the Jets.

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