Rhodes, Floyd questionable but both practice

The Vikings listed cornerback Xavier Rhodes and defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd as questionable for Sunday's home opener against the New England Patriots, but it was an encouraging sign that both starters strapped on their helmets for Friday's practice.

Coach Mike Zimmer said Thursday that both players had "a good chance" to play, and he didn't tone down his optimism Friday, saying that Rhodes wants to play and that Floyd feels "much better."

Rhodes and Floyd were both injured in the second half of the season-opening victory over the Rams. Rhodes injured his groin in the third quarter, and Floyd hurt his shoulder in the fourth. Both sat out of practice Wednesday. Rhodes returned Thursday and Floyd was back Friday, but they were limited in what they could do.

If Rhodes does not play, Josh Robinson would replace him as a starter in the base defense and either rookie Jabari Price or veteran Marcus Sherels would replace Robinson in the nickel.

Tom Johnson and Shamar Stephen would rotate in with nose tackle Linval Joseph if Floyd is held out.

Outside linebacker Brandon Watts was again ruled out because of a knee injury. Wide receiver Rodney Smith, a new addition to the injury report, is questionable because of a hamstring injury.

Price (hamstring), starting left guard Charlie Johnson (ankle), fullback Zach Line (ankle), outside linebacker Michael Mauti (foot) and offensive tackle Mike Harris (shoulder) are all probable.

Zimmer was the defensive coordinator for the Bengals last season when they beat the Patriots 13-6. The Bengals sacked Patriots quarterback Tom Brady four times and stopped his long touchdown streak. The Patriots were 1-for-12 on third down.

The Bengals blitzed Brady on just 14 of his 42 dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. When they did blitz, they sacked him three times and forced incompletions on seven of his 11 attempts.

Belichick told Patriots reporters Friday that he expects Zimmer to stick with same script Sunday.

"Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if they Xeroxed the same game plan," Belichick said. "They did a good job. Yeah, we're certainly prepared for that, if they just do the same thing they did last year. It wouldn't shock me at all, until we show we can do something about it. We didn't do much last year."

Asked about Belichick's comment later, Zimmer shook his head and made a "psssh" sound.

Gronkowski, a two-time All-Pro tight end, returned to the field last weekend after his 2013 season was cut short by a torn ACL. Gronkowski had just four catches for 40 yards as the Patriots eased him back into the lineup, but he did deliver one of his signature touchdown spikes.

"I don't think he played as much as he normally did in the past," defensive coordinator George Edwards said. "He's still a tough cover. He can really stretch the field vertically, he has nice hands, does a good job of body positioning down the field to get a chance to jump and catch the ball. He's definitely a tough matchup for anybody in this league."

Veteran outside linebacker Chad Greenway has been wearing the helmet with a green dot on the back, designating him as the lone defender with a radio headset to the sidelines. Despite the signal cutting out at times in Week 1, there have been few hiccups.

"It's been going good," Greenway said. "I try to be on it as much as I can and get people lined up and communicate the pre-snap adjustments to people. And then you just play ball."

Zimmer has been respectful this week when asked about Belichick, a fellow member of the Bill Parcells coaching tree. He hasn't seemed in awe of Belichick, who is considered one of the greatest coaches of all time, but he did acknowledge that his counterpart is closing in on a milestone.