Bridgewater's Vikings prepare to face Carr's Raiders
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Derek Carr and Teddy Bridgewater struck up a friendship as they interacted throughout the whole 2014 draft process.
They kept in touch through the combine, pro days and pre-draft interviews, and still keep in touch to this day even as they get set to square off for the first time as professionals on Sunday when Carr and the Oakland Raiders host Bridgewater and the Minnesota Vikings.
"I know who was in our class because we did so many things together, whether it was the combine or draft visits, all those kind of things," Carr said. "I definitely keep up and root for all the guys."
Both Carr and Bridgewater also had to deal with being passed by other quarterbacks during the draft. While Blake Bortles went third to Jacksonville and Johnny Manziel went 22nd to Cleveland, Bridgewater lasted until the final pick of the first round. Carr wasn't taken until the fourth pick of the second.
It's safe to say the Vikings and Raiders are quite pleased with how that turned out. Bridgewater has Minnesota (6-2) tied for first place in the NFC North in his second year as a starter.
The next step for Bridgewater is learning when to take chances so he can provide more big plays after throwing just six TD passes the first eight weeks.
"He's taking good care of the ball, he's moving in the pocket, he's avoiding negative plays, but there's times when he just needs to say, 'the heck with it, it's my ball, let's go,'" Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said.
Carr has not had that problem. He has thrown 19 touchdowns and only four interceptions this season and has a league-leading 11 touchdown passes of at least 20 yards.
"He has a little bit of a gunslinger mentality," Zimmer said. "He's not afraid to throw the ball into tight cover, down the field, take his chances."
Here are some things to watch when the Vikings visit the Raiders:
HIGH SCHOOL BUDDIES: Carr's top receiver goes way back with Bridgewater. Rookie Amari Cooper and Bridgewater were teammates at Miami Northwestern Senior High School in 2010. They both turned into college stars and first-round draft picks.
"He was the same way he is now," Cooper said. "He was a really poised player. Really smart. He was just a phenomenal player in high school."
ROOKIE WIDEOUTS: While Cooper leads all rookies with 45 catches for 653 yards, the Vikings have a prolific rookie receiver of their own in Stefon Diggs. Despite playing only five games, the fifth-round pick is second among first-year players with 461 yards on just 28 catches.
ALL-DAY ADRIAN: While much of the focus will be on the talented second-year quarterbacks, the Raiders will be most worried about containing Adrian Peterson. The star running back has four 100-yard rushing games this season and leads the league with 758 yards on the ground. The Raiders had been one of the stingiest run defenses before allowing DeAngelo Williams to run for 170 yards last week in a loss at Pittsburgh.
"It still starts with Adrian Peterson," Raiders coach Jack Del Rio said. "Very explosive player."
LEAKY SECONDARY: The Raiders allowed a franchise-worst 597 yards last week to Pittsburgh, including 284 yards on 17 catches by receiver Antonio Brown. Oakland cornerbacks DJ Hayden and David Amerson struggled to keep up with Brown, who also broke numerous tackles on his way to the big day. Oakland's secondary should get a boost this week with safety Nate Allen set to return from a knee injury. TJ Carrie also missed last week with an injury and now can return to his natural cornerback spot with Allen back.
"A lot of what happened were self-inflicted wounds," Carrie said. "Those are things we can correct and things that aren't like us as a defense."
CENTER OF ATTENTION: The Raiders could be missing a key part of their offensive line with center Rodney Hudson nursing a sprained right ankle. Hudson is a major reason Carr has been sacked just eight times and the Raiders have scored at least 34 points the past three weeks. If Hudson can't go, the Raiders might need to go with Tony Bergstrom, who has started one game in four years and had not played a single offensive snap since 2012 before replacing Hudson in the fourth quarter last week.
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AP Sports Writer Jon Krawczynski contributed to this report.
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