Taking Stock of Minnesota Vikings Ahead of Week 5 Bye

The Minnesota Vikings are heading into their Week 5 bye with a 2-2 record. 

A pessimist would say Minnesota should really be 3-1, with an unexpected and increasingly ugly loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the season opener tainting an otherwise positive start to the Vikings' run at the postseason in 2015. 

The bye week is a good time to take stock of where things in Minnesota stand. In the following slides, we'll break down the first quarter of the Vikings' season. 

Pass Protection Is a Big Issue

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After four weeks, the Vikings rank 31st in the NFL in passing yards per game (165.0), tied for 32nd in touchdown passes (two) and 19th in passer rating (84.5). While Minnesota's reliance on Adrian Peterson represents part of the reason for the low numbers, an offensive line incapable of consistently protecting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is the main factor. 

According to Pro Football Focus, Bridgewater has been under pressure on 56 of his 136 dropbacks this season. While a 75.6 percent passer with a 102.1 passer rating in a clean pocket, Bridgewater has completed just 48.6 percent of his passes with two interceptions and a 47.2 passer rating under pressure.

The Vikings have allowed 13 sacks. Only three teams have given up more. Bridgewater's ability to move in the pocket and evade pressure with his legs has probably eliminated another half-dozen or so sacks.  

Minnesota has been especially poor in pass protection on the road. Of the 13 sacks on Bridgewater, 12 have come away from home: five in a season-opening loss in San Francisco and seven during the Broncos' win in Denver on Sunday.

By all accounts, Bridgewater has navigated through the unrelenting pressure well. He's a cool customer. But you have to wonder when all the hits are going to start taking a toll and stunting his progression as a passer. 

The Vikings have the look of a playoff team, but if there's anything that can short-circuit a postseason run, it's probably Minnesota's inability to keep its young quarterback clean. 

Adrian Peterson Is Still Adrian Peterson

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Any worries about rust or regression from Adrian Peterson have been eliminated at the quarter pole.

Through four weeks, Peterson leads the NFL in rushing with 372 yards. He's on pace to rush for 1,488 yards, which would be the third-highest total of his nine-year career. 

While his top speed might not be the same, Peterson is still plenty capable of ripping off big plays. He has produced two touchdowns of over 40 yards, including a 48-yard scoring run on fourth down against the Broncos on Sunday. According to ESPN Stats and Information, Peterson now has 17 career rushing touchdowns of over 40 yards, which ranks second in NFL history behind Barry Sanders (20). 

He remains the engine that makes Minnesota go. 

The Vikings have given Peterson 75 carries through four games, which puts him on pace for 300 total. He also has nine catches. If he continues at his current rate, he'll catch more than 30 passes for just the fourth time in his career. Overall, Peterson has 20 or more touches in three of the first four games.

The Vikings may need No. 28 to continue carrying the offense over the final 12 games, largely because the pass protection issues aren't an easy fix. Good thing Peterson looks like he's all the way back. 

Mike Zimmer's Defense Is Star-Studded and Stingy

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The Vikings rank fifth in scoring defense (18.3 points per game) through the first four games. Minnesota hasn't even faced a pushover schedule, with Matthew Stafford, Philip Rivers and Peyton Manning all taking swings at Mike Zimmer's group. 

Those three quarterbacks combined to throw four interceptions and absorb 24 hits against the Vikings. 

Zimmer has assembled an impressive cast on defense, with emerging stars at every level. 

The defensive line is loaded. Zimmer would have it no other way. According to Pro Football Focus, defensive ends Everson Griffen, Brian Robison and Tom Johnson have combined for 49 total disruptions, including five sacks. Linval Joseph has played as well as any nose tackle in the NFL. 

At linebacker, second-year pro Anthony Barr looks like a Pro Bowl player. He can cover, blitz and play the run, making him the ideal attacking player for Zimmer's scheme. One week, Barr is blitzing through the A-gap and sacking Rivers; the next, he's breaking to the flats and intercepting Manning. No. 55 can do it all. 

So can safety Harrison Smith. The top-graded safety through four weeks at Pro Football Focus, Smith is finally starting to open some eyes around the league. He intercepted Manning on Sunday. Maybe no safety in the NFL does more for his defense than Smith. 

Back in 2013, the Vikings allowed the most points in football. Two short years later, Zimmer has Minnesota in the top five for scoring defense. When the right coach gets his hands on the right players, amazing transformations are possible. 

Every Week Is an Adventure with Blair Walsh

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The Vikings gave kicker Blair Walsh a $14 million contract extension this offseason. He's repaid Minnesota with a week-to-week ride on the kicker roller coaster.

Through four games, Walsh has made six of eight field goals and eight of nine extra points. 

He missed from 38 yards out on Sunday in Denver. The Broncos scored a long rushing touchdown on the next play, creating a 10-point swing in a game that ended in a three-point loss for Minnesota. 

"He needs to make those kicks," head coach Mike Zimmer said on Sunday, per Vikings.com. It's disappointing."

Overall, Walsh has missed at least one kick in seven of his nine games in 2015, including the preseason. He made just five of 11 field goals while missing one extra point over five exhibition games. Dating back to Week 14 of last season and including this preseason, Walsh has missed a staggering 15 kicks over his last 13 games. 

Misses in the kicking game have cost the Vikings seven points this season. Can the Vikings afford giving away a touchdown every four games over the rest of 2015?

The Vikings Can Play with Anyone

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Given the events of the last three weeks, Minnesota's Week 1 loss in San Francisco must be considered nothing short of a mirage. Once pushed around and outmuscled by the 49ers, the Vikings have played a total opposite brand of football over the team's last three games. 

In most games, Minnesota is going to be the aggressor, especially on the defensive side of the football. 

The Vikings should now feel confident in their ability to play with any team, anywhere. 

In back-to-back weeks, Minnesota beat up a 2014 playoff team at home. Matthew Stafford and Philip Rivers couldn't handle Mike Zimmer's relentless pass rush, while Adrian Peterson rushed for 260 combined yards against the two defenses. 

A trip to Denver to play Peyton Manning and the Broncos was never going to be easy, but the Vikings still recovered from 13-0 and 20-10 deficits to tie the game at 20. It took a Manning scoring drive and a turnover from Teddy Bridgewater to finally put Minnesota away late in the fourth quarter. 

To get to the postseason, the Vikings will likely have to win eight of their next 12 games. Minnesota must go to Oakland, Atlanta and Arizona while also welcoming Kansas City, St. Louis, Seattle and the New York Giants to TCF Bank Stadium. Throw in five more division games—including a trip to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers in Week 17—and the Vikings have their work cut out for them.

The first four weeks provided a strong opening test. Two wins feels slightly disappointing, but responding to the early adversity of Week 1 with two straight home wins and nearly a road upset is a positive sign. The Vikings are a good football team. Can they prove it over the final 12 games?