Balance, smalance.

As long as the Vikings are running the ball well and winning, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater doesn't seem to mind.

Bridgewater was asked today why Kyle Rudolph hasn't been a bigger part of the passing game of late. With four catches for 21 yards in the past two games, tight end Kyle Rudolph has looked more like offensive tackle Kyle Rudolph of late.

"If you look at it, we've been able to run the ball effectively," Bridgewater said. "Coach [Mike] Zimmer talks about being a physical team and a tough team. Right now, we're going with what works for us. We want to be a balanced team, but we're the No. 2 rushing offense in the league right now. That speaks volumes of what the guys up front are doing. And Kyle is a part of that. Whether it's helping in the run game or with protection, he's been doing a great job."

Bridgewater also talked about the pressure he faced at Denver and what he can do to help the protection. Bridgewater was sacked seven times at Denver, one fewer than the eight he took against the Lions last October.

"For me, I can continue to get the ball out of my hands as fast and make fast decisions to help out the protection," Bridgewater said.

Sentences like that, spoken publicly by a quarterback sacked seven times in one game, tend to go over big in the locker room when relayed to linemen.

"Teddy, I love that guy," right guard Mike Harris said. "He never points a finger."

Bridgewater added: "When we were going [against Denver], things were going good for us. We were just shooting ourselves in the foot. I was sacked seven times. You don't want to get hit that many times, But our guys work extremely hard. Every since training camp, those guys have just been grinding away. We have a great group of guys in that room."