From a pre-draft drop, to one of the strongest finishes by any quarterback in the NFL, Teddy Bridgewater’s rookie season was a wild ride, but one that has him in consideration for the NFL’s Rookie of the Year.
Bridgewater isn’t the favorite to win the award. That confidence goes to New York’s Odell Beckham, whose incredible catch against the Cowboys highlighted an eye-popping rookie season.
But there is a case to be made for Bridgewater.
According to 1500 ESPN’s Andrew Krammer, from his first start against Atlanta, Bridgewater’s maturity helped him transform into a calm pocket passes with a knack for coming through in the clutch.
In the Atlanta game, Bridgewater helped the Vikings churn out a season-best 550 yards and 41 points. He threw for a career-high 317 yards and led the Vikings to the go-ahead scoring drive in the fourth quarter. Krammer notes that Bridgewater was an outstanding fourth-quarter quarterback all season.
“In the fourth quarter and overtime, Bridgewater completed 81-of-120 throws [67.5 %] for 1,007 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, according to Pro Football Reference.”
Bridgewater led the Vikings to a 6-6 record as a starter, but his play late in games had a hand in four Viking victories (Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Washington and New York Jets).
His play reached a crescendo in December. Over his last five starts, Bridgewater connected on 72 percent of his passes and had the Vikings within a blocked field goal and a blocked punt of a 4-0 month to finish the year.
As this You Tube video highlights, whether it was in a game, or throughout the entire season, Bridgewater didn’t have a problem overcoming obstacles in his rookie season.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwriGLko84I
