Vikings On Offense

1. What quarterback Sam Bradford has done very effectively is play tough and strong in the pocket. Another great example was the 10-yard completion to wide receiver Jarius Wright on the team's third possession against Houston. The Texans had a great blitz-stunt concept out of the dime package with linebacker Whitney Mercilus coming clean up the middle. Bradford made a big-time throw with precise ball placement to Wright on the shallow cross as part of a mesh concept.

2. Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner continued to feature some Wildcat snaps with both Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata. Turner also features wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson in multiple ways including the backfield.

3. T.J. Clemmings is still struggling at left tackle, especially in pass protection for the Vikings. Bradford and Turner has been able to compensate for the deficiencies at the tackle position.

4. With Bradford, the Vikings' offense is very methodical and efficient. Bradford is an accurate short-to-intermediate passer with excellent accuracy. He's a sustaining passer.

5. The Week 4 win over the Giants was another efficient performance by Bradford and the Vikings' offense. Minnesota has not committed a turnover on offense in any of its five games this season. Bradford has completed over 70 percent of his passes in his four starts.

Vikings On Defense

1. The Vikings are foundationally a two-shell coverage defense, but in the Week 5 win over the Houston Texans they played more single high and more man coverage.

2. The Vikings' predominant zone coverage concepts are: quarters, quarter-quarter-half and Cover 3. At times, there will be man elements as part of the zone concepts, like Cover 3 boundary lock and quarters boundary lock.

3. Harrison Smith is the movement safety for the Vikings. He's the box player in Cover 3 and the blitzer out of their double mug fronts and zone blitz concepts.

4. Minnesota mixes a lot of zone and man principles within its coverages, especially out of two-shell looks.

5. The Vikings are more of a coverage-based defense than a pressure-based defense. Their double mug fronts present pressure concerns, but they are not a highly schemed blitz defense.