NFL Minnesota Vikings

Minnesota Vikings Must Air It Out In Week 6 vs. Detroit Lions

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Teddy Bridgewater Vikings

Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports

Teddy Bridgewater returns to the field this week after missing last Thursday’s game against the Green Bay Packers, and it couldn’t come at a better time as the Minnesota Vikings‘ Week 6 opponent, the Detroit Lions, have a stout front seven that has excels at stopping the run. The Vikings are already down to a two-back rotation that doesn’t include Adrian Peterson, meaning Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon will be going up against a defensive line containing Nick Fairley, Ndamukong Suh and second-year player Ziggy Ansah, a group that Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranks as the third best against the run this season.

This puts the pressure on Bridgewater’s shoulders once again as another 300-yard passing day is likely needed for a Vikings victory. Luckily Bridgewater is surrounded by offensive weapons that include Jarius Wright — whom Bridgewater targeted 10 times in his first start — and Cordarrelle Patterson, a second-year pro who needs to have an increased role in the offense beginning this Sunday.

Offensive coordinator Norv Turner said last offseason he would be designing plays specifically for Patterson, so it’s a bit of a surprise to see the deep threat have just eight receptions for 108 yards in his last three games combined. Patterson has also carried the ball just once in the last three weeks, something that needs to change considering he already broke a 67-yard touchdown run this season and the Vikings are without their best running threat in Peterson.

The Lions’ secondary is their weakest defensive unit, but they’re still holding opposing offenses to just 208 passing yards per game, good enough for sixth in the NFL. They have had an easy go of it the last two weeks playing against the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets, but Bridgewater will still have to play better than he did against the Atlanta Falcons in his first career start.

His accuracy on short passes was inconsistent, as was his deep accuracy on the few downfield throws he attempted. The short accuracy is an easy fix considering most of it had to do with sloppy footwork, so expect to see more Bridgewater to McKinnon connections against the Lions on Sunday, especially early in the game as the Vikings called for three straight screen plays to open the game against the Falcons.

The running game for the Vikings will likely be a non-factor this Sunday, but the passing attack will be more important than ever with the majority of the pressure on Bridgewater’s shoulders. He should be fine, however, as he can handle all types of pressure and is looking like the best rookie quarterback in the NFL this season.

Nick Baker is a contributing writer for Rant Sports and you can follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and add him to your network on Google.

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