Written by Sam Ekstrom
LAST WEEK
The Falcons hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL’s weekly Thursday night game and demolished the Bucs 56-14. It took the Falcons just over 43 minutes to take a 56-0 lead before taking their foot off the gas in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Matt Ryan posted a near-perfect 155.9 QB rating, and WR Julio Jones caught nine balls for 161 yards and two touchdowns. The Falcons wound up tied with Carolina atop the NFC South after Week 3.
The Vikings traveled to New Orleans and spotted the Saints a 13-0 lead before they knew what hit them. Matt Cassel suffered a season-ending foot injury in the first half, which opened the door for rookie QB Teddy Bridgewater. The former Louisville Cardinal played mostly mistake-free football but could only generate two field goal drives as the Vikings fell 20-9, losing their second consecutive game.
RECENT MEETINGS
On November 27, 2011, the Falcons defeated the Vikings 24-14 after leading 17-0 at halftime. Matt Ryan threw three touchdowns for Atlanta, while Percy Harvin made eight grabs for 95 yards and touchdown for Minnesota.
The Vikings had an opportunity to clinch the NFC North on December 21, 2008, but fumbles got the best of them. Minnesota put the ball on the ground seven times and lost four of them as the Falcons held on 24-17 to clinch a playoff berth of their own.
Many remember Adrian Peterson’s first game on September 9, 2007 against the Falcons at the Metrodome. Peterson rushed for over 100 yards and also took a 60-yard screen pass for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. The Vikings crushed the Michael Vick-less Falcons 24-3.
MINNESOTA TIES
Falcon’s second-round pick Ra’Shede Hageman played four seasons of college football at the University of Minnesota. In his time in maroon and gold, he tallied 10 sacks, 91 tackles and two forced fumbles.
Atlanta’s offensive line coach is former Vikings player and head coach Mike Tice, who led the Purple from 2002-2005. Tice didn’t coach in 2013 after being dismissed from Chicago when Lovie Smith got fired. The former Vikings tight end was hired by the Falcons in January.
INJURY REPORT
The Vikings, frankly, are hurting. QB Matt Cassel (foot) and RG Brandon Fusco (pectoral) are out for the year. TE Kyle Rudolph (hernia) will miss around six weeks. LB Chad Greenway (hand, rib) probably won’t play Sunday. NT Linval Joseph (shoulder), FS Harrison Smith (knee) and CB Josh Robinson (hamstring) all have nagging maladies. For the Vikings, the motto has been “next man up.”
Meanwhile, the Falcons are incredibly healthy. Wide receivers Roddy White and Harry Douglas expect to be active contributors on Sunday, as does nicked up LB Prince Shembo. Atlanta wins the health battle handily.
TEDDY TIME
The time has finally arrived: Teddy Bridgewater will make his first career start on Sunday. From Day 1 of training camp, Teddy has insisted that he doesn’t get nervous, and his play against the Saints backed that up. The rookie went 12 for 20 through the air for 150 yards and rushed six times for 27 yards.
“I think he’s a pretty composed individual,” said Zimmer. “Nothing really flusters him.”
Now Bridgewater’s back-up, Christian Ponder observed the same stoic attitude.
“I remember the first preseason game I asked Teddy if he was nervous or not,” recalled Ponder. “Of course, he said no, and I thought, ‘He’s just a liar.’ But the guy doesn’t get nervous. He’s got a ton of poise.”
Bridgewater was a 61 percent passer in the preseason – 30 of 49 for 283 yards, five touchdowns and no turnovers. Over the course of his young career, Bridgewater has repeatedly echoed that he doesn’t put all the pressure on himself. He takes solace in the fact that he has a group of teammates around him.
“I don’t have to do it by myself,” said Bridgewater on Wednesday. “There are 10 other guys out on the field with me.”
One of those guys will be Cordarrelle Patterson, who has a unique personality assessment of Bridgewater.
“Teddy, he’s a funny guy, man. Looking at him in the huddle, he always makes me laugh,” said Patterson. “He’s just funny. I’m not a serious guy, so being in the huddle with Teddy, it seems like he’d be laughing all the time, but he’s so serious, it always makes me smile.”
Good to hear that the new quarterback takes his job seriously.
STOPPING HESTER
The Vikings face a familiar foe on Sunday as former Chicago Bear Devin Hester returns to TCF Bank Stadium, where he returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown in 2010.
Hester has nine career touchdowns against Minnesota – four of them coming on kickoff or punt returns – and special teams coordinator Mike Priefer considers him the top returner to ever play the game.
“Watching him on tape, he still has the great vision, the great explosion, the great speed,” said Priefer on Thursday.
Hester returned a punt against Tampa Bay last week for his 20th-career return touchdown. With the 31 year old still exhibiting the same shiftiness and speed that made him the most feared return man since Deion Sanders, Priefer is looking to punter Jeff Locke for a solid performance.
“Keep them high and short near the sideline or even out of bounds,” said Priefer of his instructions to Locke. “I’ll take it against Devin.”
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
CB Xavier Rhodes vs WR Julio Jones – The second-year corner will likely have the tall order of stopping Jones, the explosive pass catcher who tore up the Buccaneers last Thursday. Jones leads the NFL with 365 receiving yards after three weeks. Rhodes has dealt with minor injuries throughout the early season and struggled against New England’s passing game in Week 2, committing three penalties.
RG Vladimir Ducasse vs Falcons’ Pass Rush – Ducasse will make just the sixth start of his career on Sunday. Fortunately, he takes on a defense that only has three sacks through three games. Unfortunately, he looked overmatched in his limited reps in New Orleans.
PREDICTION
It’s tough to see the silver lining when a team has lost its starting quarterback, starting running back, starting tight end and, of course, two straight games. But Bridgewater’s emergence may give the Vikings a psychological clean slate. As his family watches from the stands, Teddy will show his mettle and lead the Vikings to a 23-21 victory.
| 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 |