Asked a few days ago what the Vikings hoped to accomplish tonight against Buccaneers, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater rattled off a long list that included the offense starting fast, hogging the ball and finishing off drives.

Check. Check. And check.

Bridgewater connected on seven of his eight attempts for 86 yards and a 111.5 passer rating as the Vikings starters opened with scores on two of their three possessions. The first team totaled 95 yards on 15 plays — that's a robust 6.3 yards-per-play average — before making way for backup Shaun Hill and the second-stringers near the end of the first quarter.

"We want to get points every time we step on that football field. That's our mindset," Bridgewater said. "But to score on two out of the three drives is still pretty impressive. We got off to a fast start, which I said a week ago [that] that's the mindset. We can't get out there and feel our way around each week. We just have to go out there and let our presence be felt, set the tempo. And we did a good job of doing that today."

Last Sunday, the starting offense advanced into the red zone on its only drive but came away empty after a failed fourth-down conversion.

The Vikings ranked tenth in the NFL in first-quarter scoring a season ago, but there is plenty of room for improvement, especially considering the Packers nearly doubled them up in that category in 2014.

Tonight, Bridgewater spread the ball around, targeting Jarius Wright, Kyle Rudolph, Jerick McKinnon and Mike Wallace twice apiece. Of that group, Wright was the most effective, catching both targets for 50 yards.

Through two preseason games, Bridgewater is 12-for-14 for 130 yards.

"I've been feeling pretty good," he said. "I credit that to all the time we put in in the spring, summer and training camp. Repetition makes us better. It's making me play faster. It's helping me out. And I'm just enjoying the ride."