National Football League

Did Sam Bradford really just outplay Aaron Rodgers in Vikings upset win over Packers?

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:14 p.m. ET

Chris Chase

This is a statement that's closer to fact than you think: Former No. 1 pick Sam Bradford just had the best game of his roller-coaster career and, given the circumstances, by a pretty wide margin.

Starting his first game for the Minnesota Vikings after a tumultuous offseason that saw him sign an extension with the Philadelphia Eagles, get traded to the Vikes eight days before the start of the season (after Teddy Bridgewater suffered a season-ending injury), get the nod in Week 2 in Minnesota's debut in its new $1 billion stadium that, oh yeah, happened to be against MVP Aaron Rodgers and the division rival Green Bay Packers on national television, Bradford put together the most complete four quarters of his NFL life. You know, no big deal.

Behind their QB's 22-of-31, 286-yard, two-touchdown performance, the Vikings defeated the Packers 17-14 to move to 2-0 for the first time since 2009. (Teams with that mark make the playoffs about two-thirds of the time.) With Bradford making good -- for one game at least -- on the hope Minnesota had when basically mortgaging its immediate future for a chance to win now, the glee managed to overshadow what should have been the big news of the game -- Adrian Peterson's nasty-looking knee injury that sent him to the locker room.

Adrian Peterson on crutches as he exits locker room with brace on right knee #Vikings pic.twitter.com/Zpz92qE5r0
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) September 19, 2016

There will be time to worry about that tomorrow. For now, the Vikings can revel in a victory in their new palace thanks to a quarterback who entered the game with a 25-37-1 career record, an odd mark for a man pegged as a savior. What's even odder is that he looked like one.

Bradford had the second-highest QB rating of his career -- 125.1, before a throw-away ball on the final play of the game. He had pinpoint accuracy and a confidence we haven't seen since his Heisman-winning days in Norman. He was 9 of 9 for 182 yards on non-garbage time targets to Stefon Diggs. He outplayed Aaron Rodgers, who has struggled in 2016, looked uncomfortable in the pocket, made uncharacteristically poor decisions and made a few passes that were as bad as his brother on The Bachelorette. (High-fives self.) And Bradford did it all with the Vikings run game evidently still thawing out at the University of Minnesota's stadium. The team ran 21 times for 33 yards (not including a Bradford kneel down), letting Green Bay drop back in coverage to theoretically force Bradford into doing what he does best: making mistakes.

Not this time. Bradford to Diggs felt like it was Cunningham to Moss --their 46-yard touchdown connection would be the eventual winning score. Minnesota's defense -- with coach Mike Zimmer throwing in different looks all night -- helped keep the Packers flat, especially late in the game when Bradford and the offense were trying to milk clock but had two possessions with seven plays and minus-5 yards, combined. (Hey, we didn't say he was perfect. When picking Sam Bradford's best NFL game, it's a low bar to clear.) The defense bailed them out though with a late pick of Rodgers, one of at least five the unit could have had on the day.

Now, the same caveat goes for any September football analysis. It's early. It's really early. One game makes not a contender. While Diggs, the second-year wideout from Maryland, was a revelation, it won't mean much if Peterson is out for considerable time. The Vikings aren't going to win too many games averaging 1.4 yards per rushing attempt.

For Sunday night, at least, those "yeah, buts" can be forgotten. The team has a gorgeous new home. Its young receiver had people flashing back to memories of Moss. The defense is going to be good for a handful of wins. And the quarterback, the one who arrived to snickers and jeers just before Labor Day, had the greatest debut in team history. Sam Bradford and the Minnesota Vikings, 2-0. Just like we all expected.