Bridgewater 'lucky' to not throw more INTs

MINNEAPOLIS – Inside the visiting locker room at TCF Bank Stadium, Green Bay Packers cornerback Tramon Williams replayed the missed opportunity in his mind.

Williams thought he had an interception during his team's 24-21 win Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. It would've been his first against rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, but Packers linebacker Clay Matthews instead batted the pass into the air. It fell harmlessly incomplete.

In the huddle, Williams teased Matthews about robbing him of an interception. He said there were plenty of opportunities to pick off Bridgewater.

"It was a lot of balls out there, truthfully," Williams said. "I felt like he got lucky."

Bridgewater had a gritty performance Sunday in his first game against the Packers. The rookie kept battling, even after Green Bay sacked him twice and hit him six times. Still, Bridgewater struggled with his accuracy, often sailing passes above his intended receivers.

The Packers intercepted Bridgewater once when safety Micah Hyde caught a flutter ball. Williams said there should've been more.

"We should have," Williams said, "but the ball just kind of fell the wrong direction. Teddy Bridgewater threw high a lot today, and he got away with some things."

Bridgewater completed 21-of-37 passes for 210 yards, two touchdowns and the one pick. He finished with a passer rating of 79.8, slightly above his season average of 75.

Williams said Bridgewater "kept his team in the game" despite the constant pressure. He credited him for staying poised, even if his passes were often off target.

There was more praise than criticism of Bridgewater inside the Packers locker room. Outside linebacker Julius Peppers said it's clear Bridgewater is still developing, but he has the potential to be a good quarterback. Defensive end Mike Daniels said he was impressed with how Bridgewater "takes control" on the field.

Bridgewater's athleticism hurt the Packers, especially extending plays with his legs on third down. The rookie finished with 32 yards on five carries.

"We knew that, coming in here, he was an athletic quarterback who could not only make plays with his arm but also his legs," Matthews said. "You saw that on a few third-down situations where he was able to pick up the first down, or just create opportunities to uncover (receivers) much like Aaron does. He definitely held his own today, and obviously showed he's more than capable.

"That being said, yeah, we had to get after him. We were able to a few times, but probably would've liked to a little more."

-- rwood@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ByRyanWood