In terms of talent, coaching and production, the Chiefs are the best offense the Patriots faced this season. The Vikings? They aren’t the Chiefs' equal. But they aren’t far behind in terms of skill-position talent. The Adam Thielen-Stefon Diggs-Kyle Rudolph combo has generated 215 catches and 2,353 yards with 16 touchdowns. Quarterback Kirk Cousins is upper-middle-of-the-pack at the position. They have decent depth at receiver (Laquon Treadwell) and the Latavius Murray/Dalvin Cook pairing in the backfield is decent. But they can’t run the football worth a damn and the offensive line has been weak. That’s why the Vikings are 6-4-1 and a semi-disappointment this year. Unrealized offensive potential letting down a very good defense. Teams that turn up the heat defensively on the Vikings have done well – Buffalo, Chicago, New Orleans, the Rams – all aggressive. All losses for the Vikes. The Patriots aren’t that kind of team. They let you come to them. Interesting strategy.

MORE PATRIOTS - One stat shows Pats have edge over Vikings

By Land: Cook has been down for most of the season coming off last year’s ACL and that’s meant Murray has carried the load. He’s got 455 yards on 107 carries and five TDs but he had one game against Arizona where he carried 24 times for 155 and he’s done squat since. Not his fault. The offensive line doesn’t open stuff up. Minny is 30th in rushing yards per play and 30th in rushing yards per game. The Patriots aren’t a terrifying run defense – in six of 11 games they’ve allowed more than 4.5 yards per carry and they give up chunks to mobile quarterbacks. But they should be able to handle what Minnesota brings at them. Especially since the Patriots defensive style plays nicely into what the Vikings like to do on offense.

By Air: The interesting thing about the Vikings passing game is that they don’t push the ball down the field much. Cousins, who can be a factor in the running game as well, has been under significant pressure this season at times so maybe that’s a big part of it but he’s 30th in the league in terms of average pass length and average pass length on completions. So how do the Vikings average 283 yards passing per game? He throws all the time. He’s second in the league in attempts behind Ben Roethlisberger. That means the Patriots are going to be in nickel and dime defense most of the day. An X-factor to watch in this one is Cook. He’s got 19 receptions in limited play but the Patriots labor at covering backs out of the backfield because of their lack of speed at the linebacker level. The Patriots will also have a chore in checking Thielen, who lines up primarily in the slot. It makes him a little tougher to double but that might be the route to go. Sic Stephon Gilmore on Diggs and give Thielen the extra attention. Cousins – when given time (and the Patriots aren’t great at bringing pressure) – will utilize his other receivers. With Minnesota’s penchant for safe, short passes and the Patriots’ passive “wait for the mistake” approach defensively, Minny may string some drives together. But they aren’t great situationally. In the red zone, they are 24th in the league in scoring TDs (51.83 percent). The Patriots are middle of the pack in red zone defense (17th). Cousins can get over-amped and make some risky decisions, so New England has to do a good job on the ball if and when Cousins gives them a shot.

MORE CURRAN HARD TRUTHS - Can Pats make a run at Minny defense?

Kicking Game: Former Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey isn’t as good as he used to be. After he missed two first-half field goals last week, coach Mike Zimmer said he’d be going for it on fourth down in the second half if Bailey didn’t perform better. Bailey did make a 37-yarder in the second half. Marcus Sherels has been a pretty steady punt returner for Minny (9.8 yards per return). The Patriots kick coverage has been less than impressive all season.

Key Matchup: Kyle Van Noy vs. Dalvin Cook. The Vikings will be missing the boat if they don’t try and get Cook going in the passing game. Van Noy, who’s been one of the team’s better defenders all season, isn’t an outstanding cover guy but he does have moments and has been a very good tackler all year. He (and whoever else winds up with Cook in his area) has to be sure to get him leveraged after the catch and on the ground because he’s got breakaway ability.

Who’s Hurt: Diggs is the big one offensively. He’s questionable with a knee issue. Guard Mike Remmers and Tom Compton have lower back and knee issues. Wide receiver Chad Beebe (hamstring) and tight end David Morgan (knee) both did not practice this week and have been ruled out.

MORE PATS - Brady can't get blitzed Sunday

Recent Past: The Vikings are 2-2 in their past four. They beat the Packers on Sunday night, 24-17 and lost at Chicago the previous week, 25-20. They also beat Detroit 24-9 and lost at home to New Orleans 30-20. They are 2-2-1 on the road.

Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.