Fueled by the emergence of rookie wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who has 324 yards on 19 receptions in the first three NFL games he's played in,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, Bridgewater found quite a groove on Sunday. He completed 25 of 35 passes for 316 yards,China Jerseys NFL Wholesale, two touchdowns and no interceptions, connecting with 11 different receivers. The focus by the Lions on stopping Peterson created an opportunity for play-action fakes.
"This team is very hungry. We work our tails off. From Monday to Sunday,Cheap NBA Jerseys China, we're always working. We're always in the lab trying to get better," cornerback Captain Munnerlyn said.
With Griffen leading a strong front four, linebackers Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks and Chad Greenway and safety Harrison Smith have been able to supplement the pass rush with well-timed blitzes. Munnerlyn and defensive tackle Linval Joseph have made major strides in their second season under Zimmer, after slow starts last year as free agents.
"Teddy was back there spinning it," Diggs said.
The Vikings are seventh in the NFL in yards per game allowed and tied for second in points given up per game. They haven't been racking up sacks or turnovers like some of the league's best units,Jerseys NFL Wholesale, but that's actually a sign that the strategy is working as long as the opponent's score stays low.
"We're all playing as one. It's not about stats with this defense," Munnerlyn said.
They've quickly recovered.
Teddy Bridgewater, despite taking a bunch of hard hits himself, had the best game of his young career. Adrian Peterson reeled off a 75-yard run. Smart clock management allowed Blair Walsh, as time expired in the first half, to kick one of five field goals he made on the afternoon.
Good teams win at least a handful of games on the road, though,Wholesale NFL Jerseys Authentic, and the victory over albeit-sputtering Detroit was step one. Good teams, too, bounce back from bad days and rough starts.
The Vikings have not beaten an opponent with a winning record. Those opportunities will come steadily throughout the second half of the schedule.
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (AP) — Consider that dreadful performance by the Minnesota Vikings in their season opener a fumbled handoff.
The Vikings hadn't won on the road against a division foe since beating Detroit on Sept. 30, 2012, and were 1-15-1 against the NFC North away from home since the victory at Green Bay on Nov. 1, 2009, until vanquishing the Lions.
"This is a resilient team. We could have easily shut it down being down that quick on the road in a hostile environment," Walsh said, "but that's not in our DNA."
"We started off a little slow, but we fought back," defensive end Everson Griffen said. "Yesterday we became a better team. We found a way to overcome adversity during the game, and that's what you want to see."
Their 28-19 victory over Detroit on Sunday could be summed up as such, too. The Vikings trumped an early deficit against the Lions with a commanding finish, again displaying the type of calm confidence in their ability and their strategy that can portend a trip to the playoffs.
The defense has been rather quietly developing into one of the best in the league under Zimmer,Cheap Jerseys China, whose blitz-heavy scheme has worked well for decades considering his time as a defensive coordinator for Dallas and Cincinnati.
The Vikings (4-2) overwhelmed the Lions from the second quarter on, limiting them to 139 total yards over the final 45 minutes of the game while sacking Matthew Stafford seven times.
"I think our guys have a lot of confidence as we continue to move forward," coach Mike Zimmer said on Monday.
