FOXBOROUGH, MASS. – Mike Zimmer's motto when it comes to cornerbacks is "Just one more."
Turns out the Vikings coach needed two more in Sunday's 24-10 loss to the Patriots at Gillette Stadium.
With All-Pro Xavier Rhodes already on a limited snap count because of a freshly pulled hamstring, the game plan was to rotate the clearly slowed Rhodes with undrafted rookie Holton Hill opposite Trae Waynes.
Twenty minutes later, Waynes exited with a concussion. That left Zimmer armed with an undrafted rookie and a punt returner — Marcus Sherels — manning the outside corner positions — against Tom Brady — for parts of the game's final 40 minutes.
Zimmer, Sherels and Hill actually made a game of it thanks to a defensive adjustment designed to force Brady to throw the ball underneath or hand off to a running game that racked up 160 yards, a 4.1 average and two touchdowns on 39 carries.
"They did a good job taking away our outside receivers with a lot of split-safety coverage for a while," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. "When they changed, we were able to change."
That happened when the Patriots took possession with 2:20 left in the third quarter of a 10-10 game. Big receiver Josh Gordon hadn't caught a ball the entire game when Brady changed the first play after seeing favorable coverage from Sherels.
"They threw a 5-yard hitch, and he broke a tackle and got up the field," said linebacker Anthony Barr, who made the tackle 24 yards upfield.