Each week, beat guy Matt Vensel will highlight five Vikings stats that really mean something.

38.5 — quarterback Teddy Bridgewater's accuracy rate on deep throws.

When the rookie quarterback overshot Greg Jennings then Cordarrelle Patterson on a pair of deep balls Sunday, it continued a trend for Bridgewater, who has shown that he has the arm strength, but so far not the touch, needed to consistently complete downfield throws in the NFL. Bridgewater has an accuracy rate of just 38.5 percent on his passes thrown at least 20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage, according to Pro Football Focus. That ranks 20th among qualifying quarterbacks. But that hasn't stopped coordinator Norv Turner from asking Bridgewater to attempt deeper throws, as 13.2 percent of his throws have traveled at least 20 yards. That is the 13th-highest rate in the NFL.

three — Vikings defensive tackles ranked in the top 10 in total pressures.

The Vikings lead the NFL with 30 sacks, and a big chunk of that production has come from their defensive tackles. The big guys in the middle have combined for 11.5 sacks, tied for the NFL lead along with the Bills. Linval Joseph, Sharrif Floyd and Tom Johnson have all gotten pressure on the quarterback. According to Pro Football Focus, each has tallied 18 total pressures this season, which puts all three in the top 10 among NFL defensive tackles. No other team can boast that.

eight — passes defended by cornerback Xavier Rhodes through nine games.

Throughout training camp, coach Mike Zimmer preached to his defensive backs that he wanted them to contest more passes. Rhodes apparently got the memo. The second-year cornerback has already knocked down eight passes this season, two fewer than he had during his rookie season. That total is tied for 13th in the NFL among all defensive backs. Rhodes probably wishes he was doing more than knocking passes down, though. He has yet to pick off a pass in the NFL.

76 — percentage of pass targets caught by tight end Chase Ford this season.

Ford, a second-year tight end, has become an important cog in the offense the past two weeks. With Kyle Rudolph out, Ford is starting to make an impact in that pass-catching role with 11 catches for 127 yards and a touchdown the past two weeks. And all of that came on 12 targets, according to Pro Football Focus. Ford has now caught 19 of the 25 passes thrown his way this season. That 76 percent catch rate ranks 17th in the league among tight ends with more than 10 catches.

zero — number of Vikings receivers who rank in the top 50 in yards per game.

Zimmer has praised the offense for spreading the ball around. After all, six guys have caught at least 13 passes total in Bridgewater's five starts. But is that just a nice way of saying that no Vikings wide receiver has stepped up? Through nine weeks, Jennings leads the Vikings with an average of just 51 receiving yards per game. That ranks 52nd among NFL players, fewer than wide-outs such as James Jones, Brian Quick and Kenny Stills. No other Vikings receiver ranks in the 90 players.