I'll give you three reasons to be encouraged and three reasons to be discouraged. Take your pick. Here goes:

Three reasons to be encouraged:

1, There couldn't have been a more difficult situation for Teddy Bridgewater to make his NFL debut. But the kid did some really good things, and that's saying something when he's thrown into a game cold when a veteran, Matt Cassel, breaks his foot. The game not only was on the road, but it was in New Orleans against a Rob Ryan defense in the Saints' home opener. Bridgewater showed some strong awareness in the red zone, pulling the ball down and taking a loss to avoid the turnover and then running for a first down on a delayed draw to set up a field goal and make the game a one-possession contest. Bridgewater posted an 83.3 passer rating, didn't turn the ball over and ran six times for a 4.5-yard average. Overall, he looked pretty good for his NFL debut.

2, The Vikings' defense finally showed it can stop the run again. After five quarters of being pushed around by the Patriots last week and the Saints in the first quarter today, the run defense stiffened and the Vikings were able to put Drew Brees in some long third-down situations, which made the pass rush effective again. The reason the Vikings stayed in this game after being down 13-0 in the first quarter is because the run defense got its act together.

3, The special teams were a strength again with coordinator Mike Priefer back from his suspension. Cordarrelle Patterson averaged 30 yards on four kickoff returns, punter Jeff Locke averaged 45.3 yards with an even greater net average of 46.0. He had a long of 57 and three punts downed inside the 20. The Saints didn't have kickoff return and they had minus-3 yards on punt returns.

Three reasons to be discouraged:

1, Injuries this severe in Week 3 tear down seasons. Cassel's broken foot, coupled with Adrian Peterson's indefinite leave, means it's officially a rebuilding year. And rebuilding years have a lot of growing pains, particularly when there's a rookie QB involved. And the likelihood that Bridgewater stays healthy behind this offensive line at its current level of play is slim. Christian Ponder will play a game before the season is over. Throw in a possible serious groin injury to tight end Kyle Rudolph and a shoulder injury to right guard Brandon Fusco and, well, this season appears to be collapsing quickly.

2, The offensive line was a disappointment for the second straight week. The rushing average last week was 2.8. This week, it was 2.7. There just aren't enough quality holes being made. And there are too many defenders coming free on pass rushes.

3, The way the defense started was a major concern. Brees completed his first nine passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. He was pressured only one time, and on that play, all he had to do was take a slide step to his left. The Saints had 54 yards on just nine rushes in the first quarter. That enabled Brees to feel comfortable. By the time the Vikings corrected that situation, the Saints had the points they would need.

Coming home will help this team. But it better hope Josh Robinson's hamstring injury isn't serious because the opponent is a Falcons team that can stretch the field with multiple elite receivers.