5 Takeaways From Minnesota Vikings’ Week 9 Win

Shortly after the Vikings’ touchdown late in the first half, the camera cut to veteran wide receiver Greg Jennings giving the offense a pep talk on the sidelines. Jennings routinely found open space to extend drives when the offense needed it most, helping Bridgewater gain confidence late in the game. His leadership helped to calm the offense on their way to a strong second half.

If the Vikings were to lose this game, it would have been because they killed themselves with penalties. Multiple first-half penalties on offense led to third-and-longs and stalled drives, resulting in a slow start and little offensive rhythm by halftime. In the second half, two touchdowns were scored immediately after flags were thrown for roughing the quarterback, though the third-quarter call on a Griffin slide was questionable at best.

The defense was relentless in pursuit of Robert Griffin III all day, recording five sacks and doing a nice job of containing the mobile quarterback when he tried to take off. The pass rush suffocated Griffin on the Redskins' last drive of the day to seal the win at home. Anthony Barr and Everson Griffen can be a scary duo -- each notched a sack on the day and hurried RGIII throughout the game.

Say what you want about Bridgewater struggling with his deep-ball accuracy, but the rookie quarterback made smart decisions all game. He missed a few throws, but he made sure not to cost his team the game by making a bone-headed mistake. Rookie quarterbacks often struggle with trying to force passes or holding on to the ball for too long, but Bridgewater isn’t afraid to throw the ball away or check down when a play is blown up.

In the first half, 28 passes were thrown and less than 10 designed runs were called. Bridgewater did well to complete the majority of his first-half passes, though most were short- to mid-range attempts. Minnesota scored 22 of their 29 points in the second half when they were able to establish a balanced attack. If the Vikings are able to put together a complete game, they can be a formidable opponent for anyone in the NFL.