The Minnesota Vikings will send out quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for his first career NFL start as they face the Atlanta Falcons at home.
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Matt Cassel injury – Minnesota Vikings place quarterback on injured reserve with foot injury
Kyle Rudolph – Vikings tight end to undergo sports hernia surgery
Saints beat Vikings – New Orleans Saints defeat Minnesota Vikings, 20-9
The Minnesota Vikings endured their second consecutive loss of the season as they fell to the New Orleans Saints, 20-9. The Matt Cassel era in Minnesota also came to an end when the quarterback left the game with a foot injury.
Cassel has since been placed on injured reserve, and rookie Teddy Bridgewater will take over as the starter. Bridgewater looked promising in his NFL debut, throwing for 150 yards on 12-of-20 passing with no turnovers.
However, he has a bad hand dealt to him as running back Adrian Peterson continues to sit out, and tight end Kyle Rudolph will be out for six weeks with a sports hernia surgery. Starting wide receivers Greg Jennings and Cordarrelle Patterson are both healthy though.
For the Falcons, quarterback Matt Ryan is coming off another MVP-caliber performance as he threw for three touchdown passes against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with 286 yards on 21-of-24 passing.
Wide receiver Julio Jones continued to be one of the best receivers in the league as he finished with nine receptions for 161 yards and two touchdowns.
The Falcons offense may scare Vikings fans, but the Vikings have the ninth-ranked scoring defense in the NFL with only 18.7 points allowed per game.
The Falcons also showed how vulnerable they can be against the Cincinnati Bengals, and Bridgewater is determined to show he deserves to be a full-time starter.
Prediction: Vikings 24, Falcons 20
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