ESPN Vikings reporter Ben Goessling says that despite losing five of six games and enduring injuries on both sides of the ball, Minnesota needs to turn things around if it wants to win the division. (0:42)

MINNEAPOLIS -- In the first several weeks after they traded for Sam Bradford, the Minnesota Vikings on several occasions pointed out the quarterback's candor as it related to their scheme.

Bradford, coach Mike Zimmer and former offensive coordinator Norv Turner said, had no qualms about saying what he liked and didn't like in a game plan. That stood in some contrast to Teddy Bridgewater, who Zimmer said late last season was still trying to find his voice in offensive game-planning meetings, and it helped the Vikings center their offense around concepts that worked for their new quarterback as they tried to turn a shotgun marriage into a successful partnership.

The Vikings have found a measure of success when they ask Sam Bradford to go downfield. His 53.1 completion percentage on throws of 15 yards or longer was fifth-best entering Sunday. Photo by Steven King/Icon Sportswire

Now that the Vikings' offense has hit gridlock, scoring only three offensive touchdowns in two games as defenses look to bottle up their short passing game, Bradford has been as outspoken about the direction of the offense as he has been all season. He made it clear he wants to see more of a downfield passing element to the Vikings' offense. He underscored the point again Sunday by saying the Vikings have gotten away from their play-action game and adding Thursday's game plan against the Detroit Lions "didn't have a lot of shots down the field." As the Vikings prepare for a Dallas Cowboys team that hasn't been tested on longer throws as much as many teams in the league, it's worth watching whether Bradford gets his wish.

"I think schematically, that was just kind of how we decided to attack [the Lions]," Bradford said. "But I think after last week, we realized that we've got to be a little more balanced in how we go out there and do that."

According to ESPN Stats & Information, only 18.2 percent of opponents' passing attempts have traveled 15 yards or more this season against the Cowboys, which is the 10th-fewest in the league. Still, while only nine of Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins' 53 passes traveled more than 15 yards in a Thanksgiving Day loss to the Cowboys, he connected on five of them, posting 190 yards and a touchdown on such plays.

"I think every team presents the opportunities to go downfield," Bradford said. "I think you look at Washington and what they were able to do in the game last week. They hit them for quite a few big plays, so I think it's just a matter of getting the right plays dialed up at the right time against the right coverages."

Getting Stefon Diggs back from a knee injury -- the wide receiver didn't practice Sunday but was able to do some running at the end of the session -- would help the Vikings boost their passing game next Thursday against the Cowboys. Whereas Bridgewater struggled to connect on longer throws, Bradford has found success when the Vikings have asked him to take more shots; his 53.1 completion percent on throws of 15 yards or longer was fifth-best in the league entering Sunday, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

The quarterback's long history with interim offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur means he's probably comfortable saying the same kind of things in meetings that he said to reporters in recent days. On Thursday, he could get a chance to try to add another element to the Vikings' passing game.

"I think we've got to find a way to create more explosive plays, whether that's mixing in more of our play-action game, which we've kind of gotten away from," Bradford said. "We're trying to create some of these plays with some deeper-route concepts. That's one way, but however we do it, we've just got to figure out a way to make sure that it happens."