Minnesota Vikings Week 11 Stock Report

The Minnesota Vikings are riding into Week 11's matchup against the Green Bay Packers with a five-game winning streak and sole possession of first place in the NFC North. 

It will take a victory over the Packers at TCF Bank Stadium to keep the winning streak alive and ensure Minnesota remains on top of the division. 

A win would elevate the Vikings to 8-2 and give Mike Zimmer's club a two-game lead—with a head-to-head tiebreaker—over the Packers. A loss would put Green Bay back on top via the head-to-head tiebreaker. 

Here are the risers and fallers for the Vikings ahead of the team's Week 11 showdown. 

Rising: CB Terence Newman

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There must be something in the water out in Oakland. Charles Woodson has five interceptions at age 39, which has never been done. On Sunday, Vikings cornerback Terence Newman became just the second cornerback ever to intercept two passes in one game at age 37. He joined Deion Sanders. Not bad company.

Newman was dominant in coverage, allowing just four catches on 11 targets for 26 yards, according to Pro Football Focus. He picked off one pass intended for rookie sensation Amari Cooper, intercepted another in the end zone in the fourth quarter and probably should have had a third. Cooper didn't have a catch against the veteran. 

Recruited by Mike Zimmer this offseason, Newman has quietly been a big piece of Minnesota's defensive puzzle. Not only has he tackled well and held up fine in coverage, but his presence has allowed Zimmer to bring first-round pick Trae Waynes along slowly. 

"When we signed him, I felt like he would be a very solid, dependable guy that knows how to play, that does a lot of good things," Zimmer said Monday. "Sometimes throughout the course of the year, these kind of games pop up, but I didn’t say, 'Hey, he’s going to get a two-interception day or almost three.' But he’s a great kid, he works really hard, he helps us in a number of ways."

The Vikings will need another big game from him Sunday. Newman is expected to see plenty of Packers receivers James Jones and Davante Adams on the outside. 

Falling: TE Kyle Rudolph

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Touchdowns don't get any easier than the one Kyle Rudolph let slip through his hands on Sunday.

In the first quarter, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater rolled to his right and flicked a pass into the end zone, where Rudolph was waiting all alone. The ball hit him square in the hands, but Rudolph couldn't bring it in.

A sure-fire two-yard touchdown eventually turned into a Vikings field goal, making Rudolph's drop worth at least three points (and likely four with a made extra point). What should have been a 14-0 lead morphed into 10-0. 

Rudolph gets so few opportunities that he can't afford to let the easy ones get away. He's currently on pace for 66 targets and just 324 receiving yards in 2015. Would rookie MyCole Pruitt have finished the score?

Rising: RB Adrian Peterson

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Adrian Peterson's sixth career 200-yard rushing game was finished off in grand style. 

One play after Terence Newman kept the Raiders out of the end zone with an interception, Peterson broke off right tackle and outran the Oakland defense for an 80-yard touchdown. The score gave the Vikings a 30-14 lead and ensured Minnesota would fly back to the Midwest with a 7-2 record. 

Peterson has been nothing sort of remarkable this season. Through nine games, Peterson has 961 rushing yards, which leads the NFL by over 200 yards and puts him on pace for over 1,700. He's averaging 106.8 rushing yards per contest, with five 100-yard games.

The numbers should keep coming this week. Over his last four games against the Packers (2012-13), Peterson has 615 rushing yards and five touchdowns. 

Falling: S Andrew Sendejo

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Anyone else get the sense that the Vikings are just a replacement at safety away from the NFL's best defense?

Andrew Sendejo continues to be the weak spot for Mike Zimmer, especially in coverage. The Raiders picked on him to score seven points on Sunday. First, rookie Amari Cooper won a jump ball without much resistance from Sendejo for 38 yards. On the same drive, quarterback Derek Carr completed a 34-yard touchdown to Andre Holmes with Sendejo trailing in coverage. 

He can play the run, but teams are going to continue scheming ways to exploit him down the field. Expect Aaron Rodgers and the Packers to create as many one-on-one passing opportunities as possible against Sendejo on Sunday. When the Vikings finally find a versatile player to plug in next to Harrison Smith at the back end, look out. 

Rising: KR Cordarrelle Patterson

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Cordarrelle Patterson has been a regular in the "falling" category of the stock report this season, but he's firmly in the "rising" group entering Week 11. 

The former first-rounder isn't getting any more run in the Vikings offense. In fact, the gadget plays to receivers are going to other players (see: misdirection runs to Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs on Sunday). Patterson is still nothing more than a kick returner, but against the Raiders, No. 84 made a huge, game-turning play. 

He fielded a low, bouncing kick, found space to his left and exploded down the sideline for a 93-yard touchdown. The score came right after the Raiders had taken a 14-13 lead. Oakland wouldn't be out front again. 

Patterson will probably remain a non-factor on offense, so he needs to make his impact returning kicks. The Vikings will take all the momentum-shifting scores he can muster. Don't forget: Patterson's career-long kick return of 109 yards came against the Packers in 2013. 

Steady: QB Teddy Bridgewater

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On one hand, Bridgewater completed only 14 passes for 140 yards. The second-year quarterback has thrown for less than 200 yards in three straight games and five overall in 2015. 

On the other hand, Bridgewater threw an early touchdown and should have had a second, and he rushed twice for 23 yards. He's become an expert at managing the game for the Vikings, a team based in the running game and playing top defense. 

"I thought Teddy played very well yesterday," Zimmer said on Monday. "We had 59 plays on offense. There was 10 of them that he took what could have been really bad plays and made them into manageable plays."

Stats are great, but the Vikings don't need big numbers from their quarterback. He's playing the position as his team needs it played. How can we fault Bridgewater for that?