High temperatures and humid air combined to form an outdoor sauna, capable of causing even bystanders to sweat profusely on the Bengals practice fields.

Minnesota went to Cincinnati early before both teams' preseason opener to hold joint practice sessions, and Adam Thielen was ready to get better.

The Vikings and Bengals had lofty expectations of returning to the postseason. Beyond that, however, there were external and internal predictions of what could happen for teams and players.

Few on the outside, including across the line of scrimmage, knew that Thielen was working his way toward a prominent role on offense.

During a Vikings receivers versus Bengals cornerbacks drill, Thielen lined up for a rep, and one Bengals corner stepped out of the drill, essentially saying he wanted more competition. Another said, "Ain't got no dogs. Ain't got no dogs."

Thielen, viewed as an underdog to that point in his career, didn't jaw back. He chose work over words and just made plays.

The work that he's put in since earning a practice squad spot as a walk-on in 2013 led to becoming a special teams standout and role player in 2014. After combining for 20 catches, for 281 yards and one receiving touchdown (a 44-yarder against the Bears in the 2014 finale) in the previous two seasons, Thielen enters today's game with 68 catches, 960 yards and five touchdowns.

Last Saturday, Thielen caught 12 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns at Green Bay. He tied Paul Flatley for the third-highest yardage by a Viking in a game and became the fifth Minnesota player ever to record more than 200 receiving yards in a game.

The highlights included a 71-yard touchdown on a well-executed double move and several tougher catches at multiple parts of the field.

"One of the players said to me, 'This guy is just a football player,' and that's what he is," Vikings Head Coach Mike Zimmer said after the game. "He's a guy that goes out and makes plays and when the opportunity is there, he makes catches. The biggest thing about Adam is he's a great competitor."

Thielen enters today's finale ranked 23rd in the NFL in receiving yards and is gaining notoriety.

"I can't speak for [the Bengals defender], but if we go back now, I think he would cover him because Adam was not a respected player," receivers coach George Stewart said. "He was a respected special teams player but not a respected position player. Just like Jon Gruden, when he came in for the Monday night game, 'Who is this Adam Thielen?' Well, people know who Adam Thielen is now, and he has done a great job of taking coaching and has worked himself into a fine football player."

The Detroit Lakes native starred at Minnesota State University, Mankato where he ranks second in school history in receptions (198), third in receiving yards (2,802) and third in receiving touchdowns (20), but had to carve his way into the NFL. He's noticed he's made gains but isn't about to be complacent.

"There's always a rookie class coming in to try to take your job, and there's a lot of guys out there that can play football at a high level," Thielen said. "You've got to make sure you're getting better each offseason, and when you do have those opportunities in OTAs and minicamp, you've got to be out there and really pushing it to the limit because that's your time to get better."

The Vikings put in considerable work this offseason, with several receivers including Thielen meeting Teddy Bridgewater in Florida during lulls in the workout schedule, and during organized team activity practices and training camp.

Minnesota had to adjust quickly when Bridgewater suffered a season-ending injury on Aug. 30. Thielen worked with Shaun Hill to catch four passes for 54 yards at Tennessee in the opener and then helped Sam Bradford step into the lineup in Week 2 and beyond.

Despite not having a full offseason or previous reps together, Thielen and Bradford connected well together this season. When Stefon Diggs missed Minnesota's Week 5 game against Houston, Thielen posted seven receptions for 127 yards that included a 36-yard touchdown.

"Adam's just a really good receiver. I think sometimes people underestimate just how good he is," Bradford said recently. "You look at what he's been able to do this year. You look at when he does receive 1-on-1 coverage, it seems like he wins almost all of the time. When you have a guy like that and he's constantly getting open and constantly winning at the line of scrimmage, as a quarterback it just gives me a lot of confidence to look in his direction."

Stewart likened Thielen's bio and rise to the highest level of football to that of a fairy tale, but the reality is that Thielen "has done everything we've asked of him and taken advantage of his opportunities."

Special Teams Coordinator Mike Priefer drew a parallel between Thielen's progression and that of Everson Griffen, who started as a gunner on special teams before becoming a starting defensive end who has been selected to his second straight Pro Bowl.

"Just to see the success that these guys have on offense and defense as they grow older is very rewarding for me," Priefer said. "I tease the other coaches that I get these young guys ready to play on offense and defense. It's a lot of fun to see how much success that he's had and other guys have had in that role."

Stewart, who is completing his 10th season in Minnesota, has worked with some of the game's most prolific receivers like Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens.

When asked if he expected this breakout year from Thielen, the veteran coach said he never puts expectations on players he's coaching.

"If you do, your expectations will cap them, and [Thielen] wants to continue to grow," Stewart said. "I've always tried to treat people the way I see them in terms of coaching them, and I see all of my guys in terms of having no ceiling because you want to get the maximum.

"You never want players to leave and say, 'I wish Coach Stewart would have done this more,' " Stewart continued. "I want to squeeze every bit of water out of that towel, and that's what Adam is getting done. He has worked himself to the point where, when he leaves this game, it will all be left on the field."

Thielen said Stewart's approach aligns with his.

"I think that's a good way to look at it. You can tell by the way he coaches, he's always trying to help us improve and get better," Thielen said. "He says, 'Gain a blade of grass every day,' so it might not be a ton of improvement every day, but if you can gain a blade of grass each day, it's going to show in the long run."

While Stewart and Thielen don't want to set a ceiling going forward, a floor, or foundation, has been established.

"I think that's a good point," Thielen said. "If you have a huge season, that's kind of where you set your floor, based on what you do this season and what you did last season, and you want to improve on that, not necessarily stats wise.

"I'm not a stats guy at all, because I don't think that shows how good a football player you are, but as far as route running, fluidity in your routes and getting stronger and faster, so I think those are the things," Thielen added. "You want to set a floor each season and then improve on that."

Vikings with 200-plus receiving yards in a game:

Sammy White, 210 on seven catches (Nov. 7, 1976 vs. Detroit)

Randy Moss, 204 on 12 catches (Nov. 14, 1999 at Chicago)

Paul Flatley, 202 on seven catches (Oct. 24, 1965 at San Francisco)

Adam Thielen, 202 on 12 catches (Dec. 24, 2016 at Green Bay)

Sidney Rice, 201 on seven catches (Nov. 15, 2009 vs. Detroit)