Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio praised Tony Bergstrom for his work at center in place of standout Rodney Hudson on Sunday.
Bergstrom made his first start at center in the Raiders' 30-14 home loss to Minnesota since his junior year in high school. It was his second NFL start, the first coming in his rookie season in 2012.
"Tony played well. He had a winning grade," Del Rio said. "He did a good job going in. It's not an easy set of circumstances to go in. It's really a talented nose guard that he went up against. Tony played well in the game for us."
Del Rio said Hudson will be monitored through this week to determine whether he can play Sunday at Detroit. Hudson suffered a sprained ankle in the fourth quarter at Pittsburgh in Week 9.
In other Raiders' notes:
Del Rio wouldn't delve into why he started DJ Hayden over David Amerson at cornerback Sunday after TJ Carrie returned to cornerback from safety while Nate Allen was hurt. Amerson, claimed off waivers in September, appeared to play better than Hayden, the No. 12 overall pick in 2013, for long stretches of the season.
Tailback Taiwan Jones didn't play on offense Sunday. Del Rio said it had nothing to do with his ball-security issues at Pittsburgh, however, just that he wasn't part of the game plan.