Minnesota Vikings

Wallace on Bridgewater: 'He's going to lead us where we want to go'

Published Oct. 5, 2015 11:53 a.m. ET

foxsports

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has officially finished his "rookie season" as a starting quarterback. Through 16 career starts, the Louisville product has 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He has led the Vikings to an 8-8 record during that span.

The optimism surrounding Bridgewater supersedes his statistics, though. In the face of a relentless Denver Broncos pass rush on Sunday, the second-year quarterback did not stand down. His poise kept the Vikings in the game until the very end.

"That’s what we expect from our quarterback," Vikings wide receiver Mike Wallace said of Bridgewater, per Jim Souhan of the Star-Tribune. "He's going to lead us where we want to go. If everybody keeps playing the way we played in the second half, we’re going to be a good football team."

Bridgewater hasn't lost his focus after a the tough loss. Instead, he sees the experience as a building block for tough moments his Vikings are sure to face in the future.

"We were in this game, we had an opportunity to win it," Bridgewater said of the Week 4 loss. "We were a couple of plays away from winning it. This is one of those games where we had to be perfect. We know that we’re going to be in another game like this at some point this year and we’re going to make sure we come out on top."

The Vikings are 2-2 and far from dead in the NFC, even though they share a division with the conference's biggest powerhouse in the Green Bay Packers.

Minnesota will be a playoff contender, so long as Bridgewater is leading the team.