The Minnesota Vikings have announced that Teddy Bridgewater will take over as starting quarterback with Matt Cassel out several weeks with broken bones in his foot.
Teddy Bridgewater takes over Vikings starting job
With Matt Cassel out for several weeks, the Vikings will turn to the rookie from Louisville.
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Asked if Teddy Bridgewater is his QB now, Mike Zimmer responds: "That is correct."
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) September 21, 2014 Bridgewater made his NFL debut on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, and the rookie finished with 12 of 20 for 150 yards. He didn't throw a single touchdown or interception. Bridgewater also picked up 27 rushing yards.
Christopher Gates of Daily Norseman considers Bridgewater’s debut to be a successful one, despite the loss. He writes:
Bridgewater had a fairly impressive debut, all things considered. He completed 12-of-20 passes for 150 yards. Unfortunately, he could not lead the Vikings to a touchdown during his time on the field. He didn't get a whole lot of help from the running game, as Matt Asiata gained just 35 yards on 12 carries.
Cassel and Bridgewater competed for the starting job throughout training camp, but the impression was always that the job was Cassel’s. Throughout the preseason, the question was whether or not Cassel would do something to lose the job rather than Bridgewater doing something to win it. The two played very similarly throughout the preseason as well. Whatever happened then, Bridgewater is the starter now.
In his first preseason game, Bridgewater went 6-of-13 for 49 yards against the Oakland Raiders. He followed that up by going 16-of-20 for 177 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Arizona Cardinals, 4-of-7 for 40 yards and two touchdowns against the Kansas City Chiefs and 4-of-9 for 17 yards and a touchdown versus the Tennessee Titans. If nothing else, Bridgewater showed an ability to find the end zone, and that's precisely what the Vikings are missing right now.
The Vikings are now 1-2 and hope to even their record at home on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.
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