The Teddy Bridgewater era begins in earnest.
Teddy Bridgewater gets his first NFL start this week, leading the Minnesota Vikings (1-2) against the Atlanta Falcons (2-1). Matt Ryan threw three touchdown passes, and the Falcons came away with a 24-14 win the last time these two teams met, on Thanksgiving weekend in 2011.
With their Adrian Peterson out, Minnesota has turned to a backfield tandem of Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon. Asiata is one-cut runner with decent receiving skills out of the backfield while McKinnon is an athletic but raw rookie the team selected in the third round. They'll have to overcome the eight-man boxes the Falcons will throw at them to force Bridgewater to make plays.
Atlanta rides high following a 56-14 dismantling of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Ryan and the Falcons lead the league with averages of 455 yards and more than 34 points per game. The most impressive part of Atlanta's offense has been Julio Jones. His three touchdown catches are tied for second among receivers, but it's Jones' explosive playmaking ability that's been thrilling to watch. He nine plays of 20 yards or more, the best mark of any player in the NFL right now.
How to watch
Where: TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis
When: 4:25 p.m. ET
TV: FOX
Announcers: Chris Myers, Ronde Barber, Jennifer Hale
Radio: Falcons Radio Network, Vikings Radio Network
Online streaming: Verizon NFL Mobile
Odds
Atlanta is a 2½-point favorite, with an over/under of 47 points, per Odds Shark.
Nuts and bolts
A week ago, Matt Ryan put up 286 yards and three touchdowns on 21-of-24 passing, good for an almost perfect passer rating of 155.9. Ryan is on pace to break several career highs, including passing yards (5,147), touchdowns (37), and yards per attempt (8.69). His top receiver Julio Jones is also enjoying a fast start, producing either 100+ receiving yards or a touchdown in every game thus far in 2014. He also leads the NFL in receiving yards.
Teddy Bridgewater received his first regular season snaps last week against the New Orleans Saints, going 12 of 20 for 150 yards. He also rushed six times for 27 yards. Bridgewater is still looking for his first NFL touchdown. Top playmaker Cordarrelle Patterson leads the Vikings in both receiving yards (143) and rushing yards (95). With Peterson out for the foreseeable future, he could receive more snaps out of the backfield.
Further reading
For more on the Falcons, check out The Falcoholic. For additional coverage on the Vikings, head on over to Daily Norseman.
from SBNation.com - All Posts http://ift.tt/1ruS4FK
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