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Vikings-Patriots Preview

Oct 30, 2010 - 11:04 PM By MATT BROWN STATS Editor

Less than a month after the New England Patriots shipped him out of town, Randy Moss is returning to Foxborough. It's still uncertain who will be throwing him the ball once he gets there.

With Brett Favre's injury status up in the air - even though it appears he expects to start - Moss and the Vikings will visit Gillette Stadium on Sunday to face a Patriots team looking to improve to 3-0 since trading the star receiver.

Moss caught 259 passes over three-plus seasons in New England, 50 of them for touchdowns. His NFL single-season record 23 TD receptions in 2007 - all thrown by Tom Brady - were a major factor in the Patriots achieving the only 16-0 regular season in league history.

While Moss' talents are undisputed and perhaps unmatched, his tendency to feel underappreciated reared its head in a bizarre, rambling press conference Sept. 12 following New England's season-opening, 38-24 victory over Cincinnati. The receiver said multiple times that he expected to play out the final year of his contract with the Patriots, then play elsewhere next season.

The Patriots opted not to let the distraction last that long, dealing Moss back to the Vikings - his original team - on Oct. 6 in exchange for a third-round pick in next year's draft. New England (5-1) can increase the value of that pick with a win Sunday, but that task may be tougher considering Moss can tell Minnesota (2-4) all he knows about the Patriots' offense.

"Sure, he can probably tell them the plays," Brady said. "He knows the signals and stuff, but that's why you have to change them. Hopefully, he tells them one thing, then you fake it and they're guessing and maybe they guess wrong. Who knows?"

As for Favre, it remains uncertain if he will play, though he did reportedly say Saturday he expects to start. However, coach Brad Childress has yet to announce his starter, and Favre is listed as questionable.

His NFL-record streak of 291 consecutive games started - 315 including playoffs - is in jeopardy after he suffered two fractures in his left ankle during last Sunday's 28-24 loss at Green Bay.

Favre was on the field for drills Friday for the first time this week. He had tape on his ankle while throwing a few easy passes in warmups, but he didn't roll out or take any deep dropbacks while reporters were allowed to watch.

Asked Thursday if he thought he could play against New England, Favre said, "I wouldn't put anything past me, to be honest with you."

Whether due to his aging body, the distraction of an NFL investigation into allegations that he sent lewd photographs and suggestive messages to a female New York Jets employee in 2008, or a Minnesota offense still missing last year's leading receiver Sidney Rice (hip), Favre has struggled. His 10 interceptions are three more than he threw in all of 2009, and his 68.0 passer rating is a career low.

While he connected with Moss on a TD pass for the second time in three weeks, he also threw three second-half interceptions in the loss to the Packers, drawing the ire of Childress.

"You can't throw it to them, you've got to play within the confines of our system," Childress said. "Sometimes it's OK to punt the football."

The Vikings may need to punt more often if Favre can't play. Backup Tarvaris Jackson has yet to fulfill the promise that made him a second-round draft pick in 2006, compiling a 10-9 record and throwing 18 TD passes with 17 interceptions over 19 career starts.

New England hasn't lit up the scoreboard since trading Moss, but has extended its win streak to four and moved into a tie with the Jets for the AFC East lead, beating Baltimore and San Diego by identical 23-20 margins.

Last Sunday's victory at the Chargers was particularly fortunate, as the Patriots were outgained 363-179 and nearly blew a 17-point fourth-quarter lead, winning only after Kris Brown missed a 50-yard field goal in the final minute.

"It's good to win, but also we know we're one or two plays away from that being the other way, like most teams in this league are. 5-1 could easily be something else," coach Bill Belichick said. "We know how fragile that is."

Veteran Deion Branch, reacquired by the Patriots to shore up the receiving corps after the Moss trade, has flashed his old rapport with Brady by catching 13 passes for 137 yards and a score in his first two games back in New England, where he won Super Bowls following the 2003 and 2004 seasons.

Favre is 4-3 lifetime against the Patriots, including a 35-21 win for Green Bay in Super Bowl XXXI, his only championship.

Moss has 15 receptions for 242 yards and one touchdown in three career games versus New England. He has 26 TD receptions in 28 games at Gillette.

The Patriots are 2-0 against the Vikings in Brady's decade as their starting quarterback, including a 31-7 win in the last meeting Oct. 30, 2006, at the Metrodome. Brady threw for 372 yards and four scores in that contest.