Minnesota Vikings Week 3 Stock Report

Hope you didn't sell too much of your Minnesota Vikings stock.

A week after a season-opening dud in San Francisco, the Vikings returned home to TCF Bank Stadium and scored a decisive 26-16 win over the division rival Detroit Lions in Week 2.

Minnesota will attempt to get to 2-1 when the San Diego Chargers come to town in Week 3.

In the following slides, we'll take a look at the risers and fallers for the Vikings as Minnesota prepares to take on the Chargers. 

Rising: Defensive Line

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Head coach Mike Zimmer wasn't shy in expressing how poorly he thought his defensive line played against the 49ers. His front four responded in a big way in Week 2. 

The Vikings held the Lions to just 18 rushing yards from running backs and hit quarterback Matthew Stafford nine times. 

According to Pro Football Focus, the Minnesota defensive line produced 23 total quarterback disruptions, including 17 hurries. Stafford took just one sack, but he was consistently harassed in the pocket. 

Defensive end Brian Robison proved to be unblockable for long stretches, and both Linval Joseph and Sharrif Floyd rebounded from shaky debuts in Week 1, especially against the run. Reserve Justin Trattou intercepted Stafford in the second half. 

The effectiveness of the Vikings defense will always be a reflection of the front four. Zimmer's group dominated the game on Sunday.

Falling: WR Charles Johnson

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The hype for Charles Johnson was real this summer, especially when the preseason seemed to confirm he possessed a unique chemistry with Teddy Bridgewater. But through two games, Johnson has been mostly invisible. 

Bridgewater has targeted him just six times. Johnson has five catches for 37 yards and only one first down. 

Against the Lions, Bridgewater found Johnson three times, but the trio of hookups netted only 10 yards. The longest gain was good for just four. One completion probably should have moved the sticks on a third down, but Johnson bobbled the catch and found himself tackled well short. 

There's plenty of time for the Bridgewater-Johnson connection to heat back up. For now, it's ice cold. 

Rising: Adrian Peterson

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The Vikings had no intention of repeating their Week 1 mistake with Adrian Peterson, who had only 10 carries in San Francisco. Against the Lions, Peterson received 31 touches, which led to 192 total yards. He led the Vikings in rushing (134) and receiving (58). 

Yes, Peterson fumbled three times, including one right after a takeaway and another near the goal line negated by a Lions penalty. But he's never been the most secure running back with the football, and taking hits is still part of him knocking off the rust he accumulated during his 15-game absence in 2014. 

Also, Peterson's badly missed block in pass protection nearly got Teddy Bridgewater killed. But he turned the ugly play into a beautiful one when he caught Bridgewater's nifty flip and flew upfield for 49 yards. 

The positives far outweighed the negatives in Peterson's home return. The Vikings won't lose many games when he handles the football 30 or more times and produces close to 200 total yards. 

Falling: Linebacker Coverage

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Negatives were hard to come by, so we'll use one falling spot to highlight a small issue from Sunday's win. Forced into the nickel defense for most of the game, the Vikings did not receive a perfect game in coverage from their linebackers. 

Gerald Hodges was beat on Matthew Stafford's touchdown pass to Lions tight end Eric Ebron, and he lost Joique Bell on a 16-yard catch-and-run. 

Rookie Eric Kendricks—who played most of the game in place of veteran Chad Greenway—gave up a handful of receptions. Most of the damage was done by running back Theo Riddick, who got the best of the first-year linebacker on a few catches. But nothing Kendricks did in the passing game resulted in a big play for Detroit. 

No defense will get perfect coverage from its linebackers. Modern offenses are designed to attack the position with matchups. Hodges and Kendricks will be fine. 

Rising: Vikings Special Teams

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While Blair Walsh missed an extra point, the rest of the Minnesota special teams had a big day against the Lions. 

Punter Jeff Locke had two kicks inside the 20-yard line, and his third was returned for just two yards. He now has more punts inside the 20 (four) than returned yards (two) to start 2015. Minnesota's coverage was superb against Golden Tate, a dangerous returner. 

Speaking of returners, Marcus Sherels brought a punt back 31 yards, and both of Cordarrelle Patterson's kick returns covered at least 30 yards. 

Even Walsh had a decent afternoon overall, as he made both of his short field goals. Progress is progress. 

Rising: Teddy Bridgewater Against Pressure

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Pressure played a big part in Teddy Bridgewater's disappointing start to the 2015 season. He took five sacks and threw his one interception against disruption versus the 49ers in Week 1.

The whole operation bounced back against the Lions. 

Bridgewater didn't face nearly as much heat in Week 2, and when he did, the second-year quarterback responded. According to Pro Football Focus, Bridgewater completed five of seven passes for 73 yards on 11 pressured dropbacks against Detroit. He scrambled three times and took just one sack. 

The Vikings offensive line isn't going to be perfect week-to-week. The overall talent level just isn't there. Bridgewater regaining his composure and handling pressure were encouraging signs.