With the Vikings downfield passing game struggling to through the first few games, the hope is the change of the guard to Teddy Bridgewater will help the aerial attack take flight.
Tim Yotter of Viking Update profiles what Bridgewater brings to the table in terms of downfield passing:
It took Teddy Bridgewater 11 passes to accomplish what Matt Cassel and the Minnesota Vikings offense didn't get done in 71 previous passes.
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*Bridgewater, the rookie quarterback who will become the second-youngest quarterback to start a game in franchise history on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, went short with his first 10 pass attempts in relief of the injured Cassel against the New Orleans Saints. But when Bridgewater directed a third-quarter pass 25 yards downfield to Greg Jennings and the receiver caught it and added another 5 yards after the catch, it went down as the first completion of the season for the Vikings that traveled 15 or more yards in the air. *
*It wasn't for lack of trying with Cassel, but none of his 11 passes that went 15 or more yards in the air in the first two games were completed. In fact, three of his four interceptions over the first two-plus games came on pass he directed deep down the field. *
*Bridgewater attempted two such deep passes on Sunday, completing one. *
- "I can't say that we'll be able to do it anymore than we were when we had Cassel," receiver Jarius Wright said, but, "I think we will start to stretch the field more and do some different things."*
For the Vikings passing game to take flight it will need to be an across the board improvement, but perhaps Teddy can provide the spark the offense needed.
Quick Hitters
-* *Five storylines entering the Falcons game from Vikings.com's Mike Wobschall.
- Hall of Fame QB Fran Tarkenton's take in the Pioneer Press: In Sunday's loss, Vikings showed grit necessary to win in NFL.
