StaTuesday: Comparing start of Bridgewater's career to other Vikings QBs

Published Dec. 15, 2015 12:30 p.m. ET

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Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater recently completed his 25th career start in the NFL. From a fantasy football perspective, it was perhaps Bridgewater's finest game as a pro, as the 23-year-old completed 25 of 36 passes for 335 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions.

Of course, Minnesota head coach Mike Zimmer operates in reality. And, the fact Minnesota lost the aforementioned game, 23-20 at Arizona, is all that truly matters to the 59-year-old sideline general. After all, coaches get paid to produce wins.

So, too, do NFL quarterbacks.

And, from a win-loss perspective, Minnesota's second-year signal-caller is faring respectably. Bridgewater brings a 14-11 career record as a starter into the 8-5 Vikings' clash with the Bears this Sunday.

Compared to several former Vikings QBs, Bridgewater's 14-11 career start holds up well. Former three-time Pro Bowl QB Daunte Culpepper began 15-10 as a starter with Minnesota. And, back in the 1980s, game-manager Wade Wilson also began 15-10.

But you might be surprised how poorly things started for the likes of Fran Tarkenton (5-19-1) and Tommy Kramer (10-15) as professional signal-callers (though, it should be noted, Tarkenton was toiling for an expansion squad when he joined the Vikings back in 1961).

So far in 2015 -- essentially his second season as an NFL starter -- Bridgewater has passed for 2,733 yards, nine TDs and eight interceptions, through 13 games. The Louisville product has a 65.3 completion percentage and an 85.3 passer rating. Those numbers compare favorably, in some respects, to two other Vikings greats in their second seasons: Tarkenton and Culpepper.

Comparing Teddy Bridgewater to past Vikings QBs

As a 22-year-old, second-year starter back in 1962, Tarkenton produced a 2-11-1 record, passed for 2,595 yards, 22 TDs and 25 interceptions, to go along with a 49.5 completion percentage.

In 2001, a 24-year-old Culpepper went 4-7 in his second campaign as a starter, passing for 2,612 yards, 14 TDs and 13 interceptions. Culpepper also had a 64.2 completion percentage and an 83.3 passer rating. Culpepper, with 416 rushing yards, was more of a threat on the ground than Tarkenton (361 yards) or Bridgewater (161).

Of course, in this pass-happy era of football, Bridgewater's deficiencies are ceaselessly noted by analysts.

Bridgewater's three-quarters throwing motion is more Bernie Kosar than Brett Favre.

He has just five 300-yard passing games in the pros.

He ranks 28th in the NFL in passing TDs this season.

Then again, the Vikings didn't have many other options at quarterback when the 2014 NFL Draft rolled around. Minnesota had the ninth overall pick in Round 1 that spring, and Central Florida star Blake Bortles was already off the board, having been selected third overall by Jacksonville. Minnesota, rightfully wary of Johnny Manziel's partying, opted for linebacker Anthony Barr early in the first round.

Eventually, the Vikings traded back into the first round to select Bridgewater at No. 32 overall. Minnesota's only other top option at that juncture was Fresno State product Derek Carr, who eventually went to Oakland at pick No. 36.

All told, only five QBs were taken among the first 115 overall picks in that 2014 draft.

Let's compare Bridgewater to his contemporaries in that 2014 quarterback class. Bortles, 24, is 5-8 as a starter this season, with 3,524 yards, an eye-popping 30 TDs and 13 interceptions. Bortles also has a rather poor 57.5 completion percentage. Carr, also 24, has passed for 3,313 yards this season, with 28 TDs, nine interceptions and a 62.2 completion percentage, though his 6-7 squad has little chance of making the playoffs in the AFC.

The other QBs taken among the top 115 picks in that NFL Draft -- Manziel and New England's Jimmy Garoppolo -- haven't seen enough playing time as pros to draw much of a conclusion from.

Of course, we have yet to mention the man Bridgewater is truly tasked with outperforming: Christian Ponder.

In what amounted to his second year as a starter, in 2012, a 24-year-old Ponder performed better than Vikings fans might remember. That season, the former Florida State Seminole passed for 2,935 yards, 18 TDs, and 12 interceptions, with a 62.1 completion percentage and an 81.2 rating. Most importantly, he produced a 10-6 record and a playoff berth (albeit with a massive assist from Adrian Peterson and his 2,097 rushing yards).

The next season, however, began a steep decline for Ponder. He went 2-6-1 as a starter in 2013. Fast forward to this season, and Ponder is already on the fringes of the NFL, after getting waived by Denver on Dec. 9.

The reality of life in the NFL? Winning trumps everything.

And, if Teddy Bridgewater can keep winning, a lengthy stint as the Vikings' starting QB will be more than a mere fantasy.

Follow Kelly Beaton on Twitter

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