At the half, the Patriots lead the Vikings 24-7 in the home opener at TCF Bank Stadium. Defensive end Chandler Jones blocked a 48-yard field goal and returned it 58 yards for a touchdown with nine seconds left in the first half.

The Good: The Vikings couldn't have asked for a better start without running back Adrian Peterson. Quarterback Matt Cassel engineered seven-play, 80-yard drive that was capped with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Peterson's replacement, Matt Asiata.

Offensive coordinator Norv Turner finished the drive with two great plays using wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson as a decoy on a fake jet sweep and a play action pass with Patterson in the backfield.

The defense responded by forcing the Patriots to a 3-and-out on their opening drive.

The Bad: Then, we saw bad Cassel for the first time this season. He didn't look the same following the opening drive, throwing two bad interceptions to cornerback Darrelle Revis and safety Devin McCourty. Both turnovers resulted in touchdowns for New England. Running back Stevan Ridley scored on a one-yard run while quarterback Tom Brady connected with wide receiver Julian Edelman for an 11-yard yard touchdown.

Cassel went 4 for 4 for 75 yards and a touchdown on the first drive. He's gone 8 of 15 for 69 yards and two interceptions since the Vikings took an early 7-0 lead.

The Ugly: It hasn't mattered who the Vikings put on Edelman in the first half. Xavier Rhodes, Captain Munnerlyn, Josh Robinson — they're all getting beat.

Edelman accounted for five of Brady's nine first half completions and has converted all three of New England's third downs. He has 69 receiving yards and a touchdown. Edelman also had an effective jet sweep that gained nine yards.

Oh, and there's that blocked field goal right before the half. The Vikings had a chance to trim the deficit down to one score, but the 10-point swing was a deflating way to enter the locker room.