The Sports Xchange

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Teddy Bridgewater was completing 78.6 percent of his passes through three preseason games. But he hadn’t completed a deep pass. And presumed long-ball threat Mike Wallace was stuck on one catch for two yards.

Well, naysayers of the Minnesota Vikings’ deep-ball attack, consider yourselves a lot quieter today than you were before the Vikings’ 28-14 preseason victory over the Cowboys in Dallas on Saturday night.

One play on what likely will be Bridgewater’s final series of the preseason showed just how impactful a Bridgewater-Wallace connection can be, especially during the regular season, when running back Adrian Peterson plays and defenders begin crowding the line of scrimmage to stop him.

The Vikings don’t game-plan in the preseason, but Bridgewater looks for certain keys that can trigger an audible. On the deep ball to Wallace, he sensed a heavy rush with man coverage on Wallace. So Bridgewater checked into a go route for Wallace down the right sideline.

With defensive end Jeremy Mincey closing in on him, Bridgewater stood firm and stepped into the long pass as Wallace gained separation from cornerback Brandon Carr. Wallace was a step behind Carr when the ball landed softly in the receiver’s outstretched fingertips. Wallace got both feet down just inbounds to complete the 39-yard gain.

“Mike is a guy who works extremely hard,” Bridgewater said. “He and I, we’re getting on the same page.”

Not only did Bridgewater hit the long-awaited long ball, he also completed all seven of his passes for 76 yards. Wallace finished with three catches for 50 yards.

“Teddy is only a second-year guy, but he’s our leader,” Wallace said.

Bridgewater isn’t expected to play in the preseason finale at Tennessee on Thursday. If he doesn’t, he’ll finish the preseason with an 82.9 completion percentage (29 of 35), crushing the previous preseason team record of 71.7 set by Rich Gannon in 1992.

Meanwhile, the Vikings have not lost a preseason game under head coach Mike Zimmer. Zimmer is understandably unimpressed by the wins that don’t count, but he is 7-0 in preseason games. The record for consecutive preseason wins is 11, set from 1963-65.

Zimmer, of course, is more focused on his 7-9 regular-season mark. With Peterson set to finally return on Sept. 14, Bridgewater in midseason form and Wallace getting open downfield, Zimmer’s chances of improving upon that mark are improving.

–What’s up with Trae Waynes? That seems to be a popular question for the 11th overall draft pick.

There’s still an expectation that the big corner will make a big impact on the defense at some point. But it’s looking more and more like it will take longer than many first anticipated.

Barring an injury or probably two, Waynes won’t be a starter on opening day or early in the season. Terence Newman, who turns 37 on Sept. 4, has been steady enough to lock down the starting job.

Waynes has been in a battle for the nickel cornerback job with Captain Munnerlyn. It’s gone back and forth throughout the preseason. When Waynes plays in the nickel, he lines up at left corner while Newman slides inside over the slot. When Munnerlyn plays, he mans the slot position.

Waynes has gotten better since a disastrous Hall of Fame game performance that saw him commit three penalties and get beat deep. But there are signs that the team might be more comfortable using Munnerlyn in the slot and keeping Newman outside.

Against the Cowboys on Saturday night, Munnerlyn got a preseason-high 21 snaps, including a long look with the first unit.

“I played pretty good,” said Munnerlyn, a starter a year ago. “It felt good to be back out there with my guys. It’s just exciting to be competing. I’m a competitor, and I want to be out there.”

Head coach Mike Zimmer was impressed. Except for the one holding call.

“The penalty I didn’t really like,” Zimmer said. “But for the most part, I thought he did well.”

–In one of the stranger stat lines in recent memory, neither the Cowboys (0-for-10), nor the Vikings (0-for-11) converted a third-down opportunity in Saturday night’s preseason game.