2-5-CAR 41 (Q2, 1:19) (Shotgun) 5-T.Bridgewater sacked at CAR 49 for -8 yards (95-C.Johnson). FUMBLES (95-C.Johnson), and recovers at CAR 49. 5-T.Bridgewater to CAR 49 for no gain (92-D.Edwards).
Mike Harris, filling in for an injured Phil Loadholt, got manhandled on this play. I don’t blame Bridgewater. Teddy falling on the ball prevented an even more disastrous result on this play.
1-10-NYJ 47 (Q2, :04) (Shotgun) 5-T.Bridgewater pass deep right intended for 17-J.Wright INTERCEPTED by 30-D.Walls at NYJ -8. Touchback.
This is a Hail Mary at the end of the 2nd Quarter. The throw is exactly what it was supposed to be. Not Teddy’s fault (note: this is the one throw I have labeled as “Desperation”).
3-8-DET 48 (Q2, 4:40) (Shotgun) 5-T.Bridgewater pass short right intended for 12-Ch.Johnson INTERCEPTED by 27-G.Quin at DET 33. 27-G.Quin to MIN 11 for 56 yards (44-M.Asiata).
This is another simple play to diagnose. It’s just an overthrow. Purely Teddy’s fault; the pass just sailed on him.
2-6-MIN 24 (Q2, 3:06) 5-T.Bridgewater pass short right intended for 15-G.Jennings INTERCEPTED by 23-D.Slay at MIN 34. 23-D.Slay to MIN 32 for 2 yards (15-G.Jennings).
Jennings is running an out route, and actually gets in really good position along the sideline. Bridgewater’s throw is just behind him. What should have been an easy first down turned into a really good scoring opportunity for the Lions. I should mention that Slay did make a very nice play to catch this ball.
2-8-DET 8 (Q4, 9:18) (Shotgun) 5-T.Bridgewater sacked at DET 18 for -10 yards (91-J.Jones). FUMBLES (91-J.Jones) (91-J.Jones), recovered by MIN-79-M.Harris at DET 18. 79-M.Harris to DET 18 for no gain (91-J.Jones).
Mike Harris wasn’t particularly good last year. I guess you’d like to see Teddy be able to hold onto the ball here but that’s got to be nearly impossible when a defender gets his hand in the right place to punch it out, so I don’t blame him. At least Harris is able to salvage the play by recovering the football.
1-10-MIA 34 (Q3, 3:48) 5-T.Bridgewater pass short middle intended for 44-M.Asiata INTERCEPTED by 79-D.Shelby (50-O.Vernon) at MIA 34. 79-D.Shelby to MIA 36 for 2 yards (79-M.Harris).
This play is totally Asiata’s fault and it really frustrated me as a Vikings’ fan because the Dolphins game was really close and this was one of a few plays that tilted the game in Miami’s favor, and it should have just been a simple play. But it bounce off of Asiata’s hands and went flying in the air and the Dolphins came down with it. It’s not Teddy’s fault in the slightest.
2-10-MIN 35 (Q3, 14:53) (Shotgun) 5-T.Bridgewater pass short left intended for 84-C.Patterson INTERCEPTED by 23-K.Fuller at MIN 40. 23-K.Fuller to MIN 9 for 31 yards (5-T.Bridgewater).
Patterson is running a slant and Bridgewater throws the ball behind him. It’s not a bad decision; the throw is just too far behind the receiver. It should be noted that Bridgewater probably noticed the charging safety and was trying to prevent Patterson from getting killed. However, the throw should still be hitting Patterson in the body. It’s unreasonable to expect him to make this catch, and it bounces off of his hand into Fuller’s. I don’t give Bridgewater total blame on this because it’s still possible for Patterson to make this catch, but he is unable to.
Teddy Bridgewater had a pretty solid rookie season, and showed a lot of promise, but also showed faults. These are some of his biggest mistakes. In the plays above, you see a few things he needs to work on. Mentally, there were times where he threw into tight coverage and paid for it. There were also a couple of underthrows. No QB is perfect, and they all make mistakes from time to time. Bridgewater is no different. These 12 plays are probably among the ones he has watched the most this offseason, and time will tell if he can learn from his mistakes and become a better player.
