The Minnesota Vikings tied a franchise record with four rushing touchdowns in a 41-28 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Our takeaways:
- Teddy Bridgewater's first start ended prematurely due to an ankle injury, but what transpired before that has to have the Vikings excited. Bridgewater threw for 317 yards, averaged more than 10 yards per attempt and ran for a score. The Vikings look like a more dynamic outfit with their first-round pick at the helm. Bridgewater sprained his ankle but told NFL Media's Omar Ruiz he expects to play against the Packerson Thursday.
- A rash of injuries forced the Falcons into unchartered territory. Center Joe Hawley, guard Justin Blalock and right tackle Lamar Holmes all went down, forcing the Falcons to finish the game with Levine Toilolo -- a tight end by trade -- at right tackle. It might not be a coincidence that Atlanta failed to score once Toilolo entered the starting lineup.
- No A.P., no problem. The Vikings tied a franchise record with four rushing touchdowns. Matt Asiatahadthreescores -- the second time he's done that in the past 10 months. Jerick McKinnon was the best of the bunch, piling up 135 yards on 18 carries. The Falcons' rush defense is a mess.
- Devin Hester continues to be an impact player on more than just special teams for the Falcons. The veteran broke a tackle on a third-down reception and took it the distance for a 36-yard touchdown. Hester and Steve Smithare proving that some old guys shouldn't be overlooked in free agency.
- Have a day, Jarius Wright. The third-year wideout was Bridgewater's favorite target, finishing with eight catches for 132 yards. Bridgewater completed passes to eight different receivers, but Wright had more targets than Greg Jennings and Cordarrelle Patterson -- combined. Whatever works.
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