The last time Vikings coach Mike Zimmer faced quarterback Tom Brady and the Patriots, Zimmer’a Bengals ended Brady’s streak of 52 games with a touchdown pass.
This time around, Zimmer isn’t thinking about the last time.
“You know it was a different team, different situation,” Zimmer told reporters. “It rained like crazy the last minute of the ball game. It’s completely different. Obviously you look at the tape but you don’t think that everything is going to be the same.”
Zimmer’s right; it rained very hard, especially near the end of the game. Still, his defense held Brady to only six points and fewer than 200 yards. He was sacked four times.
That probably doesn’t mean much, especially since the Vikings haven’t beaten the Patriots since Brady’s rookie season of 2000. The last time the Vikings faced Brady, Brett Favre was the quarterback and the short-lived Randy Moss, Part II era was only a day away from imploding.
Nearly four years later, only one starter on defense remains -- linebacker Chad Greenway. Which can’t hurt, given the Vikings’ last three performances against Brady and company.