5 matchups that will define NFL Week 4: Ware, Miller ready to rush Vikings

With running back Adrian Peterson's return, theMinnesota Vikings' slow progress in the passing game has been understandable.

Yet as the quarter mark of the season approaches,Teddy Bridgewater finds himself leading the league's last-ranked passing attack and averaging fewer than 25 attempts per game. And Sunday's prime-time challenge is by far the most difficult on his early slate.

The Denver Broncos' top-ranked defense, allowing a league-best 176.3 yards per game through the air, gives Minnesota even more reason to rely on Peterson. But they'll have to turn to Bridgewater at some point, which would mark the end of the Vikings' cautious approach.

Minnesota has already identified its most troublesome matchups: outside linebackersVon Miller and DeMarcus Ware, who was the NFL's defensive player of the month in September with 3.5 sacks.