National Football League

Brian Hall's Oct. 1 Vikings mailbag

Published Oct. 1, 2014 12:20 p.m. ET

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It's time for this week's edition of Viking Mailbag. Soon after Minnesota's game Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers, look for the form to submit questions for next week's mailbag.

Question: Questioned Matt Kalil needing help last week, and he played an outstanding game. Hopefully, he can play at this level the rest of the year. I like that the Vikings are using the read option with Teddy. If the Vikings were in the same situation as Atlanta was with 3 of their 7 olinemen out who would have been moved in to play? -- Jason, Wessington Springs, SD

A: Honestly, I'm not sure who would play offensive line if Minnesota was in the same situation as the Falcons on Sunday. Atlanta entered the game with seven offensive linemen and lost three to injury, leaving big tight end Levine Toilolo to play right tackle. I believe the Vikings would likely do something similar in that case and use tight end Rhett Ellison, a blocking standout, on the offensive line, or perhaps fullback Jerome Felton.

The offensive line did have a rebound game Sunday against the Falcons. Atlanta had only three sacks coming in, and had struggled to stop the run. But Sunday was just the game Minnesota's offensive line needed.

The Vikings didn't allow a sack and had just five quarterback hurries, according to Pro Football Focus data. In the previous two games, Minnesota had allowed 21 total quarterback hurries. The Vikings also opened up big holes in the running game as Minnesota ran for 241 yards as a team.

Left tackle Matt Kalil, who had been under criticism, had perhaps his best game of the season. He allowed two hurries according to Pro Football Focus.

Q: Do you think if Teddy Bridgewater continues his play like he did against Atlanta, he would have a legitimate shot at offensive rookie of the year. -- Mike, Minneapolis

A: Sure. If Bridgewater can play like he did Sunday, he would definitely be in the running for offensive rookie of the year. To think Bridgewater will have the same success every week might be a stretch though. Minnesota will face tougher defenses, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see Bridgewater go through some learning curves as a rookie as he faces other defense.

Bridgewater set some team records for rookies Sunday. A 19-of-30 performance for 317 yards and one touchdown while avoiding turnovers was a strong first start.

Blake Bortles also had a good first start at quarterback for Jacksonville last week, and there's a solid group of running backs and receivers who will by vying for the award. Buffalo's Sammy Watkins and New Orleans' Brandin Cooks will likely be in the mix too.

Q: Hello Brian, I don't see the Vikings defense making much of an effort to strip the ball to create turnovers. Is there some strange reason for that? -- Rick, Milroy, MN

A: That is a curious thought. I hadn't really noticed, but I will keep an eye out as I continue to watch games. I know that stripping the ball is taught around the league. I have no doubt that Minnesota's coaches are doing the same.

Q: Will Jerick McKinnon take over for Matt Asiata after showing he had so much potential against the Falcons? -- Jake, Minneapolis

A: Sunday went about as perfectly for the Vikings' running game as they could have hoped. Asiata still handled the bulk of the carries and helped wear down Atlanta's defense and Minnesota ran more effectively as the game continued. McKinnon came in and supplied the big plays, starting from his first carry that went for 55 yards.

I don't believe we'll see McKinnon overtake Asiata at all this season. In filling in for Adrian Peterson, the Vikings will use the two-back approach. Coach Mike Zimmer said Tuesday he envisions a similar split with Asiata and McKinnon. The two shared the backfield Sunday. McKinnon had 135 yards on 18 carries, while Asiata had 20 carries for 78 yards.

Q: Brian, Teddy and my beloved VIKES made my day. That was a great win. Kudos to the Vikings and all the Vikes Fan around the world. It looks to me that we still need to step up on 3rd down defensive plays. Your thoughts? What are the areas do Vikes need to improve on regarding the Defense and Offense? Do we expect to see Patterson used more against the Packers. Can't wait to see Vikes running all over the Packers. #BeatPackers. SKOL! -- RAJ_VIKES, Sioux Falls, SD

A: I believe Patterson will be used more going forward. Perhaps defenses are scheming to take Patterson out of the offense. Patterson caught two passes for 38 yards.

Consistency is the biggest improvement on offense, particularly in pass protection and the running game. No doubt, getting off the field on third down is the biggest piece holding back the defense right now. Atlanta was 10 of 15 on third downs on Sunday.

Zimmer said the team will focus on improvement on third downs. Pass rush and pass coverage has to go hand-in-hand. Cornerback Xavier Rhodes and Josh Robinson have been strong in coverage. Getting more pressure and finishing off with sacks will help on third downs. Zimmer is stressing the team approach to rushing the quarterback, with players collapsing the pocket together and staying in their lanes.

Q: So...do we need another quarterback on the roster? -- Gene Thiele, Winona, Mn

A: Minnesota signed Chandler Harnish this week to help on the practice squad. Bridgewater's ankle injury is the biggest concern. Ponder gives the team an experienced backup and added McLeod Bethel-Thompson to the practice squad along with Harnish.

As long as Bridgewater is healthy enough to play, the Vikings are likely settled at quarterback. Harnish was signed as an insurance policy. If Bridgewater is healthy, Harnish might even be released.

Q: what nationality is matt astasia? -- bill pell, walker,mn

A: Asiata has one of the most interesting backgrounds of anyone on the Vikings. Asiata was born in Utah. His father had immigrated from Samoa.

Q: You are head of college scouting for Vikings. After 4 games, are you telling your scouts: We need a stud at this position, go find us one? -- Norskie, Austin, MN

A: An interesting question. If there was the ability to add one elite talent at a position, I would say cornerback is the one position which would make the biggest difference on the Vikings. Blue-chip talents at cornerback are difficult to find. Xavier Rhodes has the potential to be a very good cornerback. Captain Munnerlyn and Josh Robinson along with Rhodes gives Minnesota potentially its best set of cornerbacks in several years.

But as we've learned over the years, the Vikings can never have enough cornerbacks. Having an elite cornerback to add to the group, particularly facing the quarterbacks Minnesota does in the NFC North, would be a big step for the Vikings' defense.

Three other positions stick out in my mind: running back, safety and linebacker. I posed this question on Twitter on Saturday watching Georgia running back Todd Gurley: Would Gurley be a good first-round pick for Minnesota? Gurley might be the guy to break the recent trend of running backs not being selected in the first round. But there are several quality running backs (Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon, Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah and Alabama's T.J. Yeldon) who could be in the draft.

McKinnon's potential is certainly interesting, but the Vikings might not be able to pass up adding a back like Gurley or Gordon to pair with McKinnon, if given the chance.

Q: glad you picked up former NIU QB harnish, this guy is gooooood, please give him a shot -- Greg Morales, Memphis Tn

A: Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't think Harnish is going to get much of a shot with Minnesota. He is on the team for depth purposes only. Bridgewater is the present and future at the position for the Vikings. Ponder and Bethel-Thompson would be the guys in case of injury or emergency.

Q: Since Teddy is doing fine on his ankle and hoping to play this Thursday, how will his injury affect him and what will Aaron Rodgers think about his passing game against him? -- Ben Heupel, Rosemount, MN

A: One of the best attributes for Bridgewater so far has been his mobility. He's been able to escape pressure at times and give opposing defenses something to think about with his running. His spin move off left tackle Matt Kalil and subsequent scramble was highlight-worthy. His first NFL touchdown was by running the ball after scrambling out of the pocket. Minnesota also used some read-option with Bridgewater, helping to open up holes in the running game for McKinnon.

Rodgers stated this week he hasn't seen Bridgewater and had no opinion on the rookie's first start. I doubt a multi-time Pro Bowl player like Rodgers is worried about Bridgewater or the Vikings' passing game.

Q: What are the main keys to beat the Packers? Can we expect to see any touchdowns from our TEs? -- Excited Viking, Sioux Falls, SD

A: Keys to beating Green Bay on Sunday are probably winning the turnover battle, being efficient on offense, running well against the Packers' 32nd-ranked run defense, and keeping Rodgers in the pocket hoping to get some sacks.

A touchdown from a tight end is always possible, but I wouldn't be placing bets on the likelihood. Chase Ford nearly had a touchdown last week, but was unable to come down inbounds with a high throw in the back of the end zone. Chicago tight end Martellus Bennett had a big game last week against the Packers, but Minnesota doesn't have someone to match Bennett's talent right now.

Q: The Vikings looked great on both offense and defense against the Falcons. However, it was alarming to see Cordarralle Patterson only get two touches and fail to make a big impact for the third straight game. They seemed to target Jarius Wright with all of their wide receiver screens. Are defenses focusing on Patterson more with the absence of Adrian Peterson, or has Norv Turner just forgotten that he has one of the most dynamic players in the NFL on his team? -- Matt Punelli, Wayne, NE

A: I do feel like defenses are focusing on Patterson, Minnesota's biggest playmaker with Adrian Peterson out. But I have to look closer to see exactly how defenses are combating Patterson and how Minnesota is using those matchups to free others.

Wright had a breakthrough game and the Vikings scored 41 points while tallying 558 yards of offense. So, for one week, Patterson's usage resulted in plays for others. Greg Jennings has had a steady season, for the most part, other than one game being shadowed by New England's Darrelle Revis. I'm sure we'll see more of Patterson as the season progresses, but the spread-it-around approach was working on Sunday.

Thank you for your submissions. Unfortunately we couldn't get to all of your questions. We tried to answer as wide of a range of submissions as we possible. I hope we continue to hear from you in the future. Our Vikings' mailbag runs once a week on Thursday mornings during the regular season. Be sure to check FOXSportsNorth.com for upcoming mailbags.