At one point, it appeared the Vikings and Eagles were on a collision course for a battle of unbeatens. But Philly failed to hold up its end of the bargain, losing a pair of games after the bye.
The Vikings now emerge from their own bye, with quarterback Sam Bradford saying “hello” again to the city where he spent 2015. The extra two weeks gives him more time to learn the offense -- and the Vikings more time to tweak it.
For example, Vikings play-by-play announcer (and half of the PA and Florio podcast) Paul Allen said on Friday’s PFT Live that offensive coordinator Norv Turner has used more shotgun formation in order to give Bradford more time, so that he can minimize big hits.
Still, the big hits have happened. Bradford absorbed a hard shot from Texans linebacker Whitney Mercilus in Week Five, taking a helmet to the chin and the turf to the back of the head. But Bradford got up and kept going.
Whether that continues remains to be seen. The Eagles surely will come after him, focusing on weaknesses in the offensive line and perhaps sending extra defenders to overwhelm the pass protection. Whether Bradford can stand tall in the face of the pressure and deliver accurate throws and can keep getting up and doing it again will go along way toward determining whether the only undefeated team in the NFL can extend their record to 6-0.