Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater Rebounds with Impressive Showing in Week 13 Win

Coming off a pair of shaky performances, Minnesota Vikings rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater rebounded in Week 13 with a terrific performance in a 31-13 Vikings win over the Carolina Panthers.

Soon after Bridgewater struggled against the Green Bay Packers the week prior, some highly negative opinions of the rookie QB floated to the surface. “I think he’d have a nice long career as a backup,” former NFL QB Tim Hasselbeck told ESPN Radio (h/t Judd Zulgad of 1500ESPN.com).

With Bridgewater’s cold-weather struggles in back-to-back games, that opinion was likely shared elsewhere. Inaccuracies down the field and a bit of hesitancy contributed to that.

He took a step toward quieting his critics on Sunday, even if doing so is not his primary goal.

Bridgewater set new season bests or tied previous season bests in completion percentage, touchdowns thrown, interceptions thrown and passer rating. He fell just short of his season best in QBR at 84.1.

More importantly, though, he made strides in two areas he had struggled with before entering Sunday’s game: first-half efficiency and downfield passing.

In the first half against Carolina, the Vikings utilized short to intermediate throws regularly, allowing Bridgewater to find his rhythm early on. He complied by making highly accurate throws that enabled receivers to pick up yards after the catch.

He also got the ball out in a timely fashion, something a depleted Vikings offensive line desperately needed from him.

That showed in a sterling first-half stat line, per Vikings PR:

"

.@teddyb_h2o halftime stats: 9/12, 92 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 136.1 QB rating.

— Vikings PR (@VikingsPR) November 30, 2014"

These numbers hold some added weight given Bridgewater’s first-half struggles to this point. He often looked shaky in the early going in terms of footwork, accuracy and decision-making. The lack of rhythm early in games held back his effectiveness and dug Minnesota into deep holes.

That didn’t happen against Carolina. On the contrary, Bridgewater added to Minnesota’s special teams exploits with highly efficient QB play.

	Comp. %	AY/A	TD	INT
Previous Games	60.0%	4.4	2	5
vs. CAR	75.0%	11.0	2	0

If the early adjustments by both Bridgewater and the offensive scheme translate to subsequent outings, the Vikings can be comforted by the rookie’s growth in an area of his game that needs it most.

Another positive development from the rookie’s showing came in his downfield passing. Two fine throws down the field come to mind—the only two he attempted.

Jim Mone/Associated Press

The first was a deep ball to Charles Johnson where Bridgewater was given single coverage. He lofted the ball well down the right side of the field and ended up overshooting Johnson by a yard or two, but the pass was accurate given the circumstances.

When the QB released the ball, Johnson was deeper than the cornerback but just failed to pull away down the field with contact slowing him down.

With better receiver play, Bridgewater’s first deep ball would have dropped into the bucket down the field for six points.

The second example is an actual completion and third-down conversion down the numbers to Jarius Wright for a 35-yard gain. With Carolina showing blitz, Wright released outside the CB and Bridgewater lofted in a perfect ball down the field.

His overall rhythm and confidence led to more accuracy at all levels of the field on Sunday, something Vikings coaches and fans alike needed to see after his placement was scattershot against Green Bay.

Though he was not routinely asked to make tight throws down the field, Bridgewater made the most of what he was tasked with.

Bridgewater's decisiveness was also a positive sign. Andrew Krammer of 1500 ESPN quotes Bridgewater talking about what he does best:

"

Bridgewater: "I think I'm better at making quicker decisions." Said he made decision to throw to Jennings before snap on his TD.

— Andrew Krammer (@Andrew_Krammer) November 30, 2014"

A pair of touchdown throws in only 21 pass attempts will raise a previously minuscule touchdown percentage for Bridgewater in 2014.

The final plus on Bridgewater’s report falls under the game management category. With his lowest amount of pass attempts on the season, Bridgewater never floated the ball into the hands of the opponent and was never really close to doing so. He was diligent and decisive in picking apart Carolina’s coverage and did not turn the ball over.

More than anything, Bridgewater did exactly what a quarterback should do against a struggling opponent, capitalizing on all the help the rest of the team gave his offense.

His rebound performance in Week 13 is a positive sign in a time when the team sorely needed it. Patience will pay off for Bridgewater and Minnesota.

Statistics via ESPN.com unless noted otherwise.