Vikings' Bridgewater Feels Ready For The Lions
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota Vikings are in Detroit on Sunday, in a rematch against the team that gave Teddy Bridgewater his first loss as a starter.
It offers a pretty good barometer for the progress he's made this season.
Bridgewater's first game against Detroit couldn't have gone much worse: 3-of-14 on third down, three interceptions, eight sacks.
"Teddy could've gotten rid of the ball quicker," said Norv Turner, the Vikings' offensive coordinator. "He was caught off guard a little bit at how good they were and how good the rush was."
Look how far he's come since then.
"I feel very confident," Bridgewater said. "You know, each week this offense has been playing better."
Turner is hesitant to put too much stock into that first game against the Lions, pointing out that Bridgewater was pretty good two weeks earlier against the Falcons.
But the week-to-week progress has been noticeable -- in ways both big and small.
"Physically, he's always capable of getting the ball out quickly," Turner said.
But mentally is where he's made the most progress.
"I had a talk with Coach Norv Turner and he just told me, 'Hey, it's not about you getting the ball out quicker, it's more of you making quicker decisions.' So after that game, I just told myself that I want to continue to just make quicker decisions because once you make those fast decisions, the ball is going to come out faster."
Turner thinks Bridgewater has a better feel for that now. And now he's won four of his last six starts, leading up to a rematch with the Lions -- in what will be, on the road, likely his biggest test of the season.
"I think those are experiences that, everyone says a young quarterback, that every quarterback learns from," Turner said. "They're doing a great job of rushing, and usually teams that rush real well cover real well."
The Lions host the Vikings Sunday at Ford Field. Kickoff is at 3:25 p.m.
