Minnesota Vikings: Week 11 stock risers

Nov 22, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater (5) is sacked by Green Bay Packers defensive end Datone Jones (95) during the third quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. The Packers defeated the Vikings 30-15. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Honorable Mention: Teddy Bridgewater, quarterback, Minnesota Vikings

Teddy Bridgewater had a rough after in Week 11. The quarterback was sacked six times on the day, his receivers had a few drops, and even when things were developing nicely, he often had to rely on his legs to produce some offense for the Minnesota Vikings.

It’s a forgettable day on the whole, but Bridgewater did his best for the Vikes in this one. He wasn’t a successful game manager who could lead a multi-score comeback (at least not this week) but he was doing everything in his power to spark the offense.

Managing to complete 67 percent of his passes while throwing for 296 yards and a score, it was the offensive line more than anybody else that stopped Bridgewater from having a monster day.

Bridgewater’s toss to Kyle Rudolph for the score was a thing of beauty as he lobbed it over the shoulder and put his tight in a position to just keep right on running to the end zone.

While it’s unfair to say that Adrian Peterson was a terrible running back in this game, Bridgewater nearly equaled his 45 yards on the ground with just four rushes for 43 yards. As noted by the Star Tribune, Peterson was bottled up throughout the night and Bridgewater’s passing downs became more and more obvious as time went on.

Pro Football Focus measured Bridgewater as being pressured on 60 percent of his dropbacks in this game. The Vikings simply need to do a better job protecting their quarterback if they want him to win games for them.

Next: What kind of hit did the Vikings take in the power rankings?

All in all, not a bad performance for a player who spent a significant part of the day sitting on the turf.