Minnesota Vikings Week 12 Stock Report

The Minnesota Vikings had their brief hold on the NFC North taken away during Week 11's 30-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers, but an otherwise promising season continues on with the Vikings traveling to Atlanta to play the Falcons in Week 12.

There's no time for the Vikings to kick themselves about an opportunity lost. 

The Falcons started 5-0 but have since lost four of the last five games, including Sunday's 24-21 defeat to the Indianapolis Colts. If the season ended today, the Vikings would be the No. 5 seed in the NFC, while the Falcons would be No. 6. 

Here is a look at the risers and fallers for the Vikings ahead of Week 12's pivotal conference matchup. 

Rising: TE Kyle Rudolph

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Kyle Rudolph was one of the Vikings' lone bright spots in Week 11. 

The sometimes invisible tight end caught six passes for a career-high 106 yards and a first-quarter touchdown. His 106 receiving yards on Sunday were actually more than he accumulated over the previous seven games combined (99). 

Rudolph skied over Micah Hyde and high-stepped into the end zone to complete a 47-yard score to put the Vikings up, 6-3, on Minnesota's second possession. Later, he beat Morgan Burnett on a contested throw down the seam to set up the Vikings' only points of the second half. 

Rudolph needs to become a bigger part of the Minnesota passing game. He can make plays down the field when given the opportunity. 

Falling: WR Mike Wallace

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It's getting ugly for Minnesota's biggest offseason acquisition. 

Mike Wallace caught zero passes on two targets against the Packers, marking the second time this season he's finished a game without a catch. He dropped an easy first down on a well-thrown ball from Teddy Bridgewater in the first half, and Bridgewater was just a touch deep on a throw down the field in the second half. 

The numbers for Wallace over the last two months are almost hard to believe. 

Since starting the season with 20 catches over the first four games, Wallace has just eight catches (on 28 targets) for 85 yards over the last six games. Count just the last four, and Wallace has two catches for 26 yards—and one of the receptions came on a screen play. 

Part of his disappearance has been due to the emergence of rookie Stefon Diggs, but something is seriously off between Wallace and Bridgewater. Either Wallace drops a well-thrown pass or Bridgewater misses him down the field. Maybe it will eventually click, but for now, Wallace must be considered a liability within the Vikings offense. 

Rising: QB Teddy Bridgewater

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Blame Teddy Bridgewater for his downright embarrassing slide or just barely overthrowing Mike Wallace on a deep ball in the second half. Blame him for much else on Sunday, and you're probably searching for reasons to put the game on the quarterback's shoulders. 

Despite facing almost constant pressure and getting another no-show from Wallace, Bridgewater completed 25 of 37 passes for 296 yards and one score. He lofted a perfect pass to Kyle Rudolph to give the Vikings an early lead, and he did all the heavy lifting on Minnesota's only touchdown drive of the second half. 

A quarterback can only do so much when his front five play so poorly. Maybe the Vikings should do more to assist the issue, possibly in terms of more quick passes and less long-developing routes down the field. And it's possible Bridgewater holds the ball too long on some plays in an obvious attempt to give his receivers time to find some room against coverage. 

But he often makes the best out of impossible scenarios with chaos all around him. Bridgewater avoided a half-dozen sacks, extended drives with his legs and stayed accurate despite taking a physical beating from the Packers' pass rush. 

Falling: RB Adrian Peterson

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Adrian Peterson received almost no help from his offensive line, a unit that was handed a decisive defeat from the Packers at the line of scrimmage. Still, star players must come up big in important games, and Peterson was at least partly to blame for Green Bay's 17-point win. 

He rushed for just 45 yards on 13 carries. Peterson looked visibly frustrated early on, as the Packers continually had free runs at the running back in the backfield. It never really came together for Peterson from there, save for a touchdown run in the second half after Teddy Bridgewater marched Minnesota down the field. 

On one of the few plays Peterson did have an opening, he lost control of the football and lost a crucial fumble with the Vikings driving for a score. The turnover kept Green Bay's lead at 14, and Minnesota never really threatened again. 

Falling: CB Terence Newman

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Terence Newman followed up his NFC Defensive Player of the Week award with one of his worst games in 2015.

Really, he was just unlucky. 

The veteran cornerback was called for a killer 50-yard pass interference penalty on Green Bay's final drive before the half. It was an impossible situation for Newman, who ran with receiver Jeff Janis down the field but failed to get his head around.

When Aaron Rodgers' desperation heave on 3rd-and-long was underthrown, Janis tried to adjust and Newman made obvious contact. It was an easy call on a play the Vikings had covered well. Eventually, the Packers made the mistake hurt when Rodgers found Randall Cobb to finish the drive. 

Later, Rodgers made Newman pay again on a third down. He scrambled right and fired a laser beam to James Jones, who found just enough separation from Newman near the boundary to make the catch for six points. The score and resulting two-point conversion gave Green Bay a 27-14 lead in the fourth quarter. 

Falling: Offensive Line

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Another Sunday beating of Teddy Bridgewater makes one wonder if a poor offensive line will eventually be the undoing of the Vikings' 2015 season. 

Bridgewater was once again under siege on Sunday, taking six sacks and absorbing 10 hits while scrambling for his life on most dropbacks. But the pass protection probably wasn't even the most disappointing feature of the meltdown. 

The Vikings offense was put in too many compromising situations by bad penalties and poor run blocking on early downs. 

According to Craig Peters of the team's official site, Minnesota had seven plays where it needed at least 20 yards for a first down and 13 needing at least 11 against the Packers. 

"We put ourselves behind the eight ball in early down and distance with some penalties,” tight end Kyle Rudolph said. “When we’re 1st-and-20, we’re not putting ourselves in situations to be successful. Our style is positive plays on first down, move the chains and play that style of offense."