Teddy Bridgewater’s 12 Turnovers in 2014

1-10-DET 15 (Q1, 7:42) 5-T.Bridgewater pass deep middle intended for 84-C.Patterson INTERCEPTED by 27-G.Quin at DET -2. 27-G.Quin to DET 18 for 20 yards (31-J.McKinnon).

Detroit is playing with single-high safety coverage. The route combination between Patterson and Jennings is supposed to force the deep safety (Quin) to choose to cover one of the two, and Bridgewater can hit the other for the TD. I don’t know if Bridgewater trusted his arm too much or he just failed to look Quin off, but he telegraphed the pass to Patterson and Quin (who was moving that direction at the snap) had an easy job of picking the ball off. Hitting Jennings for a TD would require a very precise throw, but he’s the best choice in this scenario (and Bridgewater, at least the version of him later in the season was money on the kind of throw he would need to make to complete it to Jennings).

3-8-MIN 42 (Q2, 14:24) (Shotgun) 5-T.Bridgewater sacked at MIN 36 for -6 yards (94-E.Ansah). FUMBLES (94-E.Ansah), recovered by MIN-71-P.Loadholt at MIN 36. 71-P.Loadholt to MIN 36 for no gain (93-G.Johnson).

This is one of Bridgewater’s three fumbles on the season. He didn’t hold on to the ball for an egregious amount of time (although it was probably a little longer than was wise), but Matt Kalil got pantsed by Ziggy Ansah. This is on Kalil. Fortunately, the Vikings recovered.

1-10-MIN 48 (Q2, :49) (Shotgun) 5-T.Bridgewater pass short middle intended for 44-M.Asiata INTERCEPTED by 59-T.Whitehead at DET 47. 59-T.Whitehead to DET 49 for 2 yards (44-M.Asiata).

Bridgewater’s checkdown pass is a little above Asiata’s head and a little to his side. It’s not the best throw. Asiata, however, should be making this catch. The INT is on him all the way. It goes right through both of his hands.

3-2-DET 46 (Q3, 11:39) 5-T.Bridgewater pass short middle intended for 84-C.Patterson INTERCEPTED by 59-T.Whitehead (52-D.Tapp) at DET 48. 59-T.Whitehead to DET 48 for no gain (74-Charlie.Johnson).

When a pass gets tipped at the LoS, it’s hard to determine whether the offensive lineman blocking the defender who tips the pass or the QB is at fault. Did Charlie Johnson allow Tapp to get in the throwing lane, or did Bridgewater choose the wrong one? I have no way to know. Since I’m sure this exact type of pass has been practiced hundreds of times by the Vikings, my inclination is to say that Bridgewater would know where the throwing lane is supposed to be and Johnson was the one who messed up. Even if Teddy did choose the wrong throwing lane, this would be just an incompletion most of the time. However, Whitehead made a nice catch. I gave Teddy partial fault on this one, but I’m not sure if I should assign any at all.

3-7-BUF 38 (Q2, 12:24) (Shotgun) 5-T.Bridgewater pass deep right intended for 86-C.Ford INTERCEPTED by 21-L.McKelvin (51-B.Spikes) at BUF 20. 21-L.McKelvin to BUF 29 for 9 yards (61-J.Berger).

This play is kind of a fluky one. Bridgewater is flushed from the pocket, and does a good job of keeping focused down the field. There is a window where Ford is definitely open, but he just misses it. Spikes, who has is back turned, makes an excellent (and kind of lucky) play to get his hand up and knock it away. It takes an unfortunate bounce for the Vikings and ends up in McKelvin’s hands. I gave Bridgewater partial fault on this one. It should be an incompletion, but the Bills got lucky that it was an interception.

1-10-MIN 12 (Q2, 9:34) 5-T.Bridgewater pass short right intended for 19-A.Thielen INTERCEPTED by 21-L.McKelvin at MIN 26. 21-L.McKelvin ran ob at MIN 26 for no gain.

This interception is Bridgewater’s fault all the way because he trusts his arm too much. Thielen could get more separation on his out route too, but the reality of this play is that Bridgewater thought he could fit the ball in to the receiver before McKelvin reached that spot and his throw was not fast enough.

2-3-CHI 29 (Q4, 1:58) (Shotgun) 5-T.Bridgewater pass deep right intended for 12-Ch.Johnson INTERCEPTED by 21-R.Mundy at CHI -7. Touchback.

With fewer than two minutes left in the game, this is a desperate throw, but the time left on the clock makes it even worse. It’s second down and Bridgewater even has enough time left to eat a sack (which is what was about to happen) rather than make this totally ill-advised throw. The Bears are in Cover 2, which means throwing to the outside receiver on a go route has little to no chance of working in the first place. Then you take into account that he just kind of launches the ball up in the air like a prayer and it looks even worse. The Vikings had time to come back. This killed that chance. He needs to be safer with it here.

1-10-MIN 22 (Q2, 7:30) 5-T.Bridgewater pass deep left intended for 15-G.Jennings INTERCEPTED by 33-M.Hyde at GB 47. 33-M.Hyde to GB 47 for no gain (15-G.Jennings).

It looks like there was some kind of mix-up with routes on this play because Jennings and Johnson are running to roughly the same spot and that should never happen. There are three DBs to two WRs and that gives the Packers an advantage. With a man in his face as he throws, Bridgewater can’t step into it and the ball is underthrown just enough for Hyde to make an athletic interception. This is a pass that never should have been attempted, and I blame the result on Bridgewater.

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