Spokesman-Review
National Football League
Minnesota 41, Atlanta 28
When: 4:25 PM ET, Sunday, September 28, 2014
Where: TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Temperature: 82°
Head Official: Ron Torbert
Attendance: 52173

Vikings 41, Falcons 28: Rookie Teddy Bridgewater passed for 317 yards in his first NFL start before exiting in the final quarter as host Minnesota outscored Atlanta.

Rookie Jerick McKinnon rushed for 135 yards on 18 carries and Matt Asiata rushed for 78 yards and three touchdowns for the Vikings (2-2), who racked up 558 yards of total offense. Asiata scored the decisive touchdown with 10:50 remaining and Bridgewater departed at the time with an ankle injury and didn’t return.

Matt Ryan passed for 298 yards and three touchdowns and was intercepted twice for the Falcons (2-2). Julio Jones caught six passes for 82 yards and Antone Smith rushed for a touchdown that provided the lead late in the third quarter but Atlanta didn’t score again.

The Falcons trailed by 13 points early in the third quarter before Devin Hester caught a 36-yard scoring pass from Ryan and Smith dashed 48 yards for a score to give Atlanta a 28-27 lead. Asiata dove in from the 1 on fourth down and the ensuing two-point conversion pass gave Minnesota a 35-28 edge before Blair Walsh tacked on a 55-yard field goal with 3:38 to play and a 33-yarder with 1:14 left.

Bridgewater passed for 197 yards and rushed for a touchdown as Minnesota held a 24-14 halftime lead. Asiata rushed for two scores for the Vikings while Ryan threw touchdown passes to Roddy White and Patrick DiMarco.

GAME NOTEBOOK:
White’s touchdown reception was his 57th, tying Terance Mathis (1994-2001) for most in franchise history. … Vikings WR Jarius Wright caught eight passes for 132 yards for his first career 100-yard receiving game. … Falcons LG Justin Blalock (back), C Joe Hawley (knee), RT Lamar Holmes (foot) and S William Moore (shoulder) all departed with injuries during the game.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
Atlanta   Minnesota
Antone Smith Player Jerick McKinnon
4 Attempts 18
62 Yards 135
15.5 Avg Yards 7.5
1 Touchdowns 0
48 Long 55
Receiving
Atlanta   Minnesota
Julio Jones Player Jarius Wright
6 Receptions 8
82 Yards 132
13.7 Avg Yards 16.5
0 Touchdowns 0
21 Long 52
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
Atlanta 411 123 288 4 0 0 0.0 0
Minnesota 558 241 317 4 4 2 1.0 0
Upcoming Games
  • Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Green Bay. The Vikings have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .500 after a loss.
  • Atlanta will play their next game on the road against N.Y. Giants. The Falcons have a W/L % of .333 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.