Vikings QB Matt Cassel fought a fierce battle with rookie Teddy Bridgewater for the starting job, but ultimately the veteran won out.
The Minnesota Vikings have announced that QB Matt Cassel will start Week 1 against the St. Louis Rams.
Cassel beat out rookie QB Teddy Bridgewater, who the team drafted with the No. 32 overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft. Bridgewater had been neck-and-neck with Cassel in terms of preseason production but did not play as extensively with the first team as Cassel.
Cassel has completed more than 66 percent of his passes for 367 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the preseason. Bridgewater has completed 65 percent of his passes for 266 yards and four touchdowns in the preseason, mostly with the second team.
Cassel has not played a full NFL season since 2010 with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he went 10-5 en route to the team’s first playoff appearance since 2006. He was named to the Pro Bowl that year after finishing 8th in passing TDs and passer rating.
Cassel started 6 games for the Vikings in 2013, going 3-3 with 1,807 yards, 11 TDs and 9 INTs.
In a nine-year career with the Patriots, Chiefs and Vikings, Cassel has a completion percentage of 59.0% to go along with a 32-36 record and an 80.5 passer rating.
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