Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and tight end Kyle Rudolph haven't had a lot of opportunities to work together. Bridgewater took over in Week 3, which was also when Rudolph suffered a groin injury that sidelined him for the team's next six games. Week 15 at Detroit, then, was only their fifth game working together. It was also by far their best.
Bridgewater found Rudolph seven times for 69 yards, both representing season highs for the fourth-year tight end. With Bridgewater also throwing for more than 300 yards for the second straight game, maybe it's the start of something.
Then again, two of those catches for 16 of those yards came with the Vikings desperate to get into field goal range with less than a minute to go. The Lions were happy to let Bridgewater dump the ball off underneath, and he obliged. Change Rudolph's line to five catches for 56 yards, and it's ... well, it's still the best he's done with Bridgewater, but it's nothing special.
Wide receiver Charles Johnson has been the greater beneficiary of Bridgewater's emergence -- or perhaps the cause of it. Still, Rudolph remains one of the Vikings' more reliable receiving options, so if Bridgewater keeps putting up numbers, some of them will have to go to his tight end.
This time of year, though, is too late to earn your trust.