This was probably the debut of their new stadium that Minnesota fans dreamed of three weeks ago, with a different face under center.
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In spite of leaky pass protection, a swollen left hand and the second straight week of an ineffective Adrian Peterson, he completed 22 of 31 passes for 286 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Stefon Diggs was Bradford’s favourite target, turning nine receptions into 182 yards and a touchdown. If Minnesota’s offense is unbalanced and an offensive line that Pro Football Focus past year ranked 31st in the league in terms of pass-blocking efficiency can’t keep it together, Bradford could be in trouble. In his last seven games in Minnesota, he’d thrown 18 touchdowns without an interception.
Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson hobbled off the field with a right knee injury in the third quarter Sunday night, and he missed the rest of the game against the Green Bay Packers. He did not return. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer had success against quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offense when he was the defensive coordinator at Cincinnati and he brought his 4-3 zone-blitz concept to Minnesota when he was hired in 2014.
Rodgers, who ran for 29 yards and a touchdown, had trouble finding a rhythm.
Trae Waynes intercepted Rodgers in Vikings territory in the closing minutes to seal the win. “We’ve got to go back and be harsh with our critiques of ourselves, myself included, and we’ve got to get better”.
“I thought we did a great job staying focused in the huddle”, Bradford said.
“I don’t think this is anything to get super insane about”. “It’s a tough opponent, a division opponent”. He returned to the Vikings in Week 1 of the 2012 season and went on to be named league MVP that year. Then he hit Kyle Rudolph for an 8-yard touchdown pass three plays later.
Diggs scored Minnesota’s only second-half touchdown, with Bradford putting the right touch on a 25-yard floater over the top of the Green Bay secondary. Rodgers threw to Davante Adams with Waynes in coverage, but Waynes picked off the pass.
Vikings fans say they have waited a long time for this.
Penalties were the Vikings’ biggest problem all night.
Former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford seems to be adjusting well to life with the Minnesota Vikings.
“It is really sad because of how close we are, but it is the next man up”, said running back Matt Asiata, who carried the ball six times for 14 yards after the injury. “He was pretty much unstoppable”.
A stream of errors made the job easier for Rodgers, Vikings veteran cornerback Terence Newman was flagged for pass interference, which moved the Packers to the opposition five yard line. They gave up gains of 44 and 46 yards to Diggs, who was clearly in sync with his new passer.
He has an ascending talent at wide receiver in 2015 fifth-rounder Stefon Diggs, who turned in his second big game of the season. “We just need to figure out what that identity is”.
The Packers won the coin toss but deferred, and the Vikings got the first possession of the game. Bradford entered the 2016 season with a career passer rating of 81.0, which was lower than the 85.0 rating belonging to Bridgewater’s original replacement, Shaun Hill. The Vikings last opened a permanent new home on September 12, 1982, beating Tampa Bay 17-10 in the inaugural game at the Metrodome.
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The Vikings traded two premium draft picks, including their first-round selection in 2017, to Philadelphia for Bradford after Teddy Bridgewater suffered a season-ending injury to his left knee on August 30.
