1. Turner tells Teddy to 'step into it'

Offensive coordinator Norv Turner's message to Teddy Bridgewater last week was easy to spot early Sunday. When it's cold or windy or the rookie QB is a little nervous, that's when "you have to step into those throws and finish those throws," Bridgewater explained after the 31-13 win over Carolina. After firing 11 incompletions in 22 first-half attempts the week before, it was encouraging to see Bridgewater nail his first "easy" throw. A short pass was on target to an open Greg Jennings, who gained 7 yards on third-and-5. "Just pitch and catch," said Bridgewater, who pitched the easy ones too high too often in the first half of the Packers game. That one "easy" toss helped Bridgewater go 3-for-3 for 35 yards, two first downs and a touchdown to Kyle Rudolph on the opening drive.

2. Rhodes, Greenway helped turn the tide

The offense opened the second half with back-to-back three-and-outs while the Panthers scored a touchdown to cut the Vikings' lead to 28-13. A weak punt by Jeff Locke handed the ball back to Carolina at the Panthers 49-yard line. "That was a critical moment in the game," linebacker Chad Greenway said. It got worse when Carolina ran for 14 yards on its first play. But the game changed back in favor of the Vikings for good in the next three plays. On second-and-15, cornerback Xavier Rhodes swatted a ball away from Benjamin on second-and-15. It was one of Rhodes' game-high three passes defensed. "No one is playing better than Xavier is right now," Greenway said. Then, on third-and-15, Greenway knocked a pass away from Greg Olsen in tight coverage over the middle. "I don't know where we rank in pass defense this year," Greenway said. "But I do know it's been more fun not giving up so many yards. We're not sitting back in zone."

3. Zimmer stays aggressive

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer keeps talking about wanting to play a style of football that fans will appreciate. Well, give the rookie head coach an 'A' for the kind of aggression fans love. Case in point: The Vikings led 21-3 late in the second quarter when the Panthers faced third-and-7 from the Vikings 17-yard line. Zimmer put seven defenders at the line of scrimmage and all seven rushed. That left strong safety Robert Blanton in man coverage against receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who had eight touchdowns. "That's Coach Zim all day," cornerback Captain Munnerlyn said. "He's the Blitz Doctor." Cam Newton had to hurry his pass to Benjamin over the middle. Blanton was there with tight coverage and a hand to swat the ball away. "Coach isn't scared," safety Harrison Smith said.

4. No hat-tossing for Kalil

Matt Kalil didn't toss the perfect game, but he also had no need to toss any hats from the heads of hecklers after the game. Asked if Sunday's game felt good, the Vikings offensive tackle said, "Yeah, it does. Gets some people off my back." A week earlier, Kalil committed three penalties in a loss and then had an altercation with a fan captured on video. Sunday, he had no penalties and no sacks allowed but did give up at least one glaring pressure. "I know people got on me," Kalil said. "It gets frustrating being the competitor that I am. I want to play the perfect game every time. But I'm my toughest critic. No one is going to say anything that I don't already know."

5. Run defense passes early test

When we last saw the Vikings' suspect run defense, it couldn't stop Packers running back Eddie Lacy from running out the clock the previous week. The Panthers wasted no time trying to repeat what they saw Green Bay do. But back-to-back runs to open the game netted just 2 yards. "It felt great after what happened last week," Greenway said. Then, on third-and-8, Sharrif Floyd sacked Newton to force a 28-yard punt. "That's how you draw it up to start a game," Greenway said. For the game, Carolina gained 178 yards with a 5.4 average. So it wasn't particularly good run defense. But it was a great opening series.