MINNEAPOLIS -- The yin and yang of Cordarrelle Patterson was on full display Saturday night at TCF Bank Stadium.

The third-year receiver showed some of the improved route-running the Minnesota Vikings have been waiting for, stemming briefly to the outside to turn around Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Mike Jenkins before surging upfield and catching a 21-yard touchdown pass from Shaun Hill. As Patterson said after the game, he hadn't visited the end zone in a while -- since Oct. 19, 2014, to be exact -- so the receiver exulted in the moment, high-fiving fans in the corner of the stadium before mimicking an airplane on his way back to the sideline.

On the Vikings' next offensive play, Patterson caught a screen pass from Hill and took it eight yards before Buccaneers rookie Kwon Alexander tackled him on the way out of bounds. Alexander appeared to say something to Patterson, who popped up and head-butted the fourth-round pick, drawing a taunting penalty.

"I thought they were calling it on him, but they called it on me," Patterson said. "You just have to learn from mistakes like that.”

Had the penalty not happened, the night might have stood as an unqualified sign of progress for the third-year receiver. He's been playing with the second-team offense since the Vikings' organized team activities, as the team put Mike Wallace, Charles Johnson and Jarius Wright ahead of Patterson in its three-receiver set.

Vikings coaches have said they've seen signs of improvement in Patterson, who caught just 33 passes in 2014 as he struggled in a traditional receiver role. But since the team has stocked its roster with young receivers that routinely linger on the practice field to catch balls long after most players have left, Patterson can't afford to give much ground.

"He did a nice job, made a nice catch," coach Mike Zimmer said. "I wish he wouldn't have gotten a taunting penalty on second-and-4. But those are more learning experiences."