SID's JOTTINGS

Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater could have his best game against Tampa Bay, which has the NFL's worst pass defense. Baltimore's Joe Flacco threw five touchdown passes in the first 20 minutes of the Buccaneers' most recent game Oct. 12. The Tampa Bay defense has not recorded a sack its past two games and has only nine in six games to date.

One plus for the Bucs is they have Gerald McCoy, who on Saturday became the richest defensive tackle in the history of the NFL, signing a seven-year, $98 million deal with $51 million guaranteed. That deal came two days after the No. 3 overall pick in the 2010 draft blasted the Bucs' NFL-worst defense, telling reporters, "If you look out there on tape and you see a bunch of guys sitting on blocks, are you not earning the title of being soft?"

Tampa Bay tackle Anthony Collins spent his first six years in Cincinnati when Vikings coach Mike Zimmer was Bengals defensive coordinator, so there is familiarity with the defense. "I played against that for six years," Collins said to the Tampa Bay Times. "I know the ins and outs of that, and I'm schooling my soldiers about a Mike Zimmer defense."

The Vikings offensive line has given up an average of 12.3 total pressures (quarterback sacks, hits and hurries combined) per game, the sixth most in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. The website also reported that Vikings left tackle Matt Kalil is responsible for eight sacks this season, tied with Washington right tackle Tyler Polumbus for most in the league.

Umpire Jeff Nelson, a St. Paul native, is working the World Series for the third time. He spent Games 1 and 2 in New York as the replay official but flew to San Francisco for Game 3 and will be in the field the remainder of the Series.