Matt Vensel's three takeaways from Vikings-Bengals preseason game

1. The Vikings weren't just blowing smoke about Teddy Bridgewater's bombs.

Mike Zimmer and the coaching staff hyped up Bridgewater's deep ball during spring workouts, but they only allowed him to uncork a couple of unsuccessful ones in the practices opened to the media. We finally saw what they were so excited about during two weeks of training camp, when Bridgewater was on target on about two of every three bombs he heaved down the field to Stefon Diggs and Co. Of course, those passes came when Bridgewater was unable to be touched. That's why his 49-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Charles Johnson on Friday was so encouraging. Bridgewater stepped up to evade the rush and generate the power needed to throw an accurate pass that traveled 52 yards in the air. Deep passing, especially on these kinds of long balls, was probably Bridgewater's biggest weakness in his first two seasons. Might it now be a strength?

2. Trae Waynes needs to trust himself and start crowding wide receivers.

Waynes got a big opportunity Friday night, starting at left cornerback and playing the entire first half. He displayed the straight-line speed and length that made him the first corner off the board in 2015 when he tracked down Bengals rookie receiver Tyler Boyd to defend a deep ball from Bengals backup AJ McCarron in the second quarter. But the next play showed he still has work to do. On second down, Waynes backed up off the line and allowed McCarron to complete an easy throw to wideout Cody Core, who gained 9 yards after running a stop route. After the game, Zimmer said he gives his corners the green light to play bump-and-run at the line and wants to see Waynes, who excelled in press coverage at Michigan State, do that more often. If Waynes does — and doesn't get burned — Zimmer might feel comfortable giving the youngster a starting gig.

3. The Vikings will find a way to take advantage of the new touchback rule.

When kicker Blair Walsh put the ball in the air to open Friday night's game, he did not try to boom it through the back of the end zone like he often did last season, when the Vikings ranked 14th in the league in touchback percentage. Instead, Walsh landed a higher-arching kick inside the 5-yard line, hoping that the kick coverage team could make a tackle inside the 25-yard line. Why the change? The new NFL rule that gives the receiving team the ball at its 25-yard line after a touchback. The Vikings and special teams coordinator Mike Priefer are always looking for an edge in that phase, so they will continue to experiment with short kickoffs in the preseason. The results were mixed Friday. Twice the Bengals got the ball out past their 25-yard line. But on Walsh's final kick, the Vikings tackled Bengals returner Bronson Hill at his 13-yard line.