Written By Sam Ekstrom
The Teddy Bridgewater debut came about sooner than many expected – and in one of the most hostile environments imaginable.
Matt Cassel left Sunday's game with a foot/ankle injury in the second quarter, opening the door for the first-round draft pick Bridgewater. The rookie went 12 for 20 with 150 yards, 0 TDs and 0 INTs in Minnesota’s 20-9 loss. He also rushed six times for 27 yards.
Bridgewater dealt with a collapsing pocket during most of his two and a half quarters but seemed to make the most of it. As evidenced by his 0 INTs, Bridgewater was smart and managed the game well after coming into a difficult position with the Vikings trailing 13-3. He barely made what one would consider an ill-advised throw, though his half-dozen scrambles may have been deemed ill-advised with no other active quarterbacks on the bench for Minnesota.
Unlike his counterpart Cassel, Bridgewater did a nice job completing passes further down the field, including several gems to Greg Jennings. Bridgewater averaged 12.5 yards per completion on the day.
The rookie – either due to playcalling or New Orleans' heavy blitzing – wasn’t ever in a position to make a game-changing play. Though he engineered two field goals in his five drives (not counting the pre-halftime kneel downs), Bridgewater never threw a ball into the endzone and only ran five plays inside the Saints’ redzone. He only had the opportunity to command one fourth-quarter drive, too, thanks to Drew Brees’ methodical, clock-killing, 6 minute, 58 second drive that ended the game.
All things considered, Bridgewater held his own in one of the loudest environments in the NFL. Coach Mike Zimmer indicated after the game that starter Matt Cassel suffered multiple broken bones in his foot, which means Teddy’s performance was more than a cameo. He’ll probably be the team’s starter next Sunday as they take on the 2-1 Atlanta Falcons.
Of much greater concern to the Vikings is the play of the offensive line, which allowed four quarterback hits and failed again to open up any rushing holes for Matt Asiata, who managed just 2.9 yards per carry.
The game was also heavily influenced by an unnecessary roughness call on the final play of the third quarter. With the score 13-9 in favor of New Orleans, Captain Munnerlyn threw Drew Brees down to the turf for, what appeared to be, a critical third down sack. But Munnerlyn was flagged for an illegal hit on the quarterback, and the Saints proceeded to roll down the field for a back-breaking touchdown.
After a tumultuous nine-day period that saw Adrian Peterson, the face of the franchise, suspended from team activities and fall out of public favor, the Vikings were hoping for some breaks. They didn’t get any against the Saints Sunday – except, of course, in Cassel’s foot.
But maybe the beginning of the Bridgewater era will be enough to wipe the slate clean and reinvigorate this deflated football team.
Sam Ekstrom is a staff writer for Cold Omaha at 105 The Ticket. He has previously served as a play-by-play broadcaster in Iowa and South Dakota and has covered Minnesota sports since 2012. Follow him on Twitter @SamEkstrom for further insights.