Minnesota Vikings: 5 players who came on strong late in 2015
By Dan Zinski
The numbers say that Teddy Bridgewater did progress in 2015, though the progression was perhaps not as dramatic as some hoped it would be.
Bridgewater improved marginally in several key stats over his rookie season of 2014. His completion percentage went from 64.4% to 65.3%. His QB rating went from 85.2 to 88.7. His interception percentage dropped from 3.0 to 2.0.
Those numbers are not particularly exciting, I grant. For more compelling evidence of Bridgewater’s growth, you need to focus on how he played over the last few weeks of the season.
Bridgewater’s best statistical game of the year, and the best of his young career so far, came in week 15 against the Bears when he threw four touchdowns and posted a near-perfect 154.4 passer rating.
Bridgewater also posted strong passer ratings in the game at Arizona (108) and at-home against the Giants (93.4).
It’s true that the Vikings adjusted their offensive approach late in the year to make things easier on Bridgewater and the offensive line, but Bridgewater still must be credited with upping his own performance in most of those games.
Yes, Bridgewater struggled in the final game against the Packers and was only okay in the playoff game against Seattle. It wasn’t all rosey for the quarterback during his late-season upswing.
Occasional down-ticks notwithstanding, one has to be encouraged at the way Bridgewater came on late in the season. The defense may have been largely responsible for the Vikings’ late surge but Bridgewater also was a key contributor.
The Vikings must now look to shore up their offensive line and perhaps re-work the receiver corps with an eye toward helping Bridgewater take the next step.