Ron Borges

MINNEAPOLIS - The AFC and the NFC are two different conferences, but they're really in two different leagues. The New England Patriots made apparent on Monday night, at the expense of the Minnesota Vikings.

The Vikings came into Monday's game feeling good about themselves.

They were hosting a Monday night game for the first time in five years and coming off a crushing domination of the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks. They were becoming a trendy pick to do some damage in the NFC.

But then the Patriots showed up and it was a frightening Hallow's Eve for the Vikings, who were bewitched, bothered and bewildered, not to mention bludgeoned.

How good the Patriots are will remain in question until Sunday night when they host the undefeated Indianapolis Colts. Those Colts beat the Broncos on Sunday, the same Broncos who shut down the Patriots 17-7 five weeks ago. Since then, however, the Patriots have won four straight by an aggregate score of 117-36.

It was thought that Monday night's showdown in Minnesota might reveal something more about the Patriots. It did. It revealed that they're becoming more efficient offensively with each passing week (this week, for example, Tom Brady passed for 372 yards and four touchdowns) and once again have the kind of defense that can give a quarterback dancing feet. It also made clear the NFC is to the AFC what Ohio University football is to Ohio State football.

By the time he was pulled from the game, 15-year veteran and one-time Super Bowl quarterback Brad Johnson looked as if he'd seen a ghost, and backup Brooks Bollinger didn't look any different in the fourth quarter of what would ultimately become a crushing 31-7 defeat. Johnson was sacked once, intercepted three times and hounded most of the night. When Bollinger was sacked on each of his first three passing attempts, Johnson at least didn't have to take his singularly inept performance personally.

"I think we showed people that we are for real and that we have a pretty good football team,'' Patriots' safety Rodney Harrison said. "The fashion by which we won — we scored a lot of points and our defense didn't give up any points — showed something. We played well on a national stage.

Next week we go home and play the best team in football.''

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The Vikings are clearly a very long way from reaching the level of the Patriots but it's unclear what that level is. What's known is it's pretty high. Whether it's as high as the Broncos and Colts will soon be sorted out.

The proof of how far the Vikings have to go was everywhere on Monday, not just on the scoreboard.

Defensively, New England didn't give up a point, Minnesota's only score coming on a Mewelde Moore punt return.

After it was all over All-Pro defensive end Richard Seymour stood at his locker, his left arm heavily wrapped after nearly breaking it a week ago, but still choosing to play much of the night against Minnesota's massive left tackle, Bryant McKinnie. Despite clearly being impaired by the brace he was forced to wear, Seymour had gone out and gotten one sack, helped create several others and remained stout against the run.

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On his finger in the locker room was a Patriots' Super Bowl ring, which he had chosen to bring with him on the trip. It was there to remind him what his goal is and why he plays on nights like this, when his arm is throbbing and weakened.

"I don't really care what anyone else's expectations were (for this year's Patriots, who many pre-season prognosticators felt might be eclipsed by the Miami Dolphins),'' head coach Bill Belichick said. "It doesn't make any difference. We are just trying to go out and play a good football game every week. That's our job. They played extremely well tonight. We had guys step up in every phase of the game.''

Unwilling to challenge Minnesota's powerful run defense, which was holding teams to 70 yards a game, New England went to the air, completing 29 of 43 throws for 372 yards and four touchdowns. Instead of banging their head against a wall, the Patriots simply found a way over it.

Defensively, they were immoveable against the running game, quickly convincing Vikings' head coach Brad Childress to abandon it. In the end Minnesota would rush 15 times for 45 yards, a far cry from the 116 yards rushing a game it was averaging when the night began. Thus forced to throw, both from the pressure put on them by New England's defense and from Brady's offense, Minnesota's quarterbacks were sacked four times, threw four interceptions, and were hounded all night.

"This was probably one of the most embarassing games I've been a part of,'' Johnson said. "Obviously they have a very, very good team. They've proven that over time and especially this season. They're very good at what they do.''

What they did on this night was anything they wanted. Even when Minnesota finally made a play, Moore's 71-yard punt return for a score to open the second half, New England answered back immediately when Laurence Maroney took the ensuing kickoff back 77 yards to the Viking 21. Three plays later Brady found Troy Brown with a 7-yard scoring pass and all the good of Moore's return had been wiped out in 93 seconds.

"When you do that back-to-back it's a big momentum shift and I think it's bigger momentum shift when it's done to you right after you created some momentum and all,'' Moore lamented later. 'Those guys did a good job of making sure they always answer the bell. They always answer the call.''

They did it Monday night, loud and clear. If the Patriots can do the same next Sunday night at home against a far more formidable Colts team, we may still not know what they are but you'll have a pretty good idea thaey'll still be around when january's snows are blowing all over New England's frozen landscape.

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