SID's JOTTINGS

• Emotions are important in winning football games, and coach Mike Zimmer thinks the Vikings have learned that. "I think we have learned what kind of mentality that we have these last four weeks," he said. "I think that we have learned what type of mentality we need the past four weeks. After we got beat by Seattle and the Green Bay team, the mentality of our team changed and for the better, in my opinion. I talked to them about it. This is the type of mentality we have to have going forward. And really the Arizona game we had the right mentality. … Going forward from that game on, we we've played with the mentality that I like to play with."

• Harrison Smith said he, Linval Joseph and Anthony Barr are all big-time competitors who returned to action after spending time together in the training room while they had to sit out because of injuries. So they got geared up as a group when they came back, and they played that way vs. the Giants.

• Vikings wide receiver Jarius Wright on how well quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has been playing the past three weeks: "I don't think words can explain it. He has been outstanding the past three weeks dating back to the Arizona game. He's playing lights-out football — playoff football is what we call it."

• Bridgewater said things haven't changed much with regard to the way he has played since the first Packers game. "I just continue to stay within the system, I guess," he said. "And getting the ball out much quicker to allow our guys to make plays on the outside. Those guys [receivers] have been doing a great job for us."

• Looking back to the Giants game, it was impressive that despite the cold, there were fewer than 5,000 no-shows at the Vikings' final regular-season game at TCF Bank Stadium.