Victory Monday: Bridgewater and Vikings Beat Jets

Dec 7, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) passes against the New York Jets in the fourth quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings win 30-24. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday’s game could not have started or ended any better for the Vikings. The middle left a lot to be desired, but hey, a win is a win.

Gerald Hodges made a fantastic play on the first snap of the game, baiting Geno Smith into throwing a pass intended for Percy Harvin. Hodges broke back, made a great one-handed catch and brought it to the house for a quick 7-0 lead. The last play of the game was even better. Teddy Bridgewater saw that the Jets were showing blitz, checked to a wide receiver screen and got the ball to Jarius Wright. Wright did the rest, breaking one tackle then finding himself with no one in front of him for an 87 yard, walk-off touchdown. The play was the second longest overtime touchdown pass in NFL history.

More from Sporting Sota

On the other side, Harvin did what he usually does in Minnesota; make a bunch of big plays, then leave the stadium on crutches. He caught 6 balls for 124 yards, including a long touchdown, but left before overtime with an injured left ankle. His touchdown was particularly frustrating. Josh Robinson was able to stick with Harvin, but never found the ball, and actually overran the play slightly. As much as Robinson has improved in coverage, his ball skills are still leaving much to be desired. Against the Bears, his height (or rather, lack thereof) was largely to blame. That same excuse was not applicable against the similarly height challenged Harvin.

Teddy had a very good game, which was actually even better than the stats show. Throwing for over 300 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception is a good start in its own right. However, when you consider it should have been three touchdowns and the only interception was on a Hail Mary attempt to end the first half, his game looks that much better. Beyond the numbers, Teddy also passed the eye test with flying colors. The best example was hitting Charles Johnson for a long touchdown in the first half. Whatever mechanical issues that were affecting Bridgewater in the early going of the season seem to be corrected. Personally, I was never worried about Teddy long term. For one, even in games he has struggled, he has still made the correct reads and decisions the vast majority of the time. The other reason is that accuracy was his calling card at Louisville. To me, it made sense that he might take time to adjust to the speed of the NFL but once he did, he would be fine. At this point, it looks like he has adjusted. After watching Tarvaris Jackson and Christian Ponder both flame out due to poor mechanics and worse decision making, this is a refreshing change of pace. There will be more growing pains, no doubt, but our quarterback is not a concern of mine going forward.

More from Minnesota Vikings

Mike Zimmer did not sound like a victorious coach during the postgame. The reason for that is that while he was relieved the Vikings won, he knows we have a better team than the Jets, and should have been able to put them away sooner, particularly at home. In an odd way, that is a positive too. There were very few teams the Vikings were clearly better than last season, but this year it has become a more common occurrence. Strides are being made in the direction of relevancy. The offense needs to be more explosive week to week and the defense needs to kick teams when they are down, but this is a very young team that is absolutely improving. The playoffs should be a realistic goal within the next year or two. I am very excited to see where the club is at by the time we move into the best stadium in football in 2016.

Home/Minnesota Vikings