One man's prediction: There is a lot of excitement around the Twin Cities about Teddy time, and rightfully so. Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater played with poise after replacing injured Matt Cassel last week and offers a glimmer of hope after a stormy couple of weeks. But asking him to keep pace with Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and the high-scoring Falcons in his first NFL start is probably a bit too much. Falcons 31, Vikings 20

Three keys

THE START OF AN ERA

The Bridgewater era began sooner than expected last Sunday when the 32nd overall pick was forced into action in the Big Easy. Bridgewater was steady, completing 12 of his 20 attempts for 150 yards with no turnovers, though he couldn't get the Vikings into the end zone. Head coach Mike Zimmer said this week that he believes Bridgewater is ready to shine. We'll see if Zimmer is right.

THE END OF A STREAK

Veteran outside linebacker Chad Greenway played — and struggled — with a broken hand and a busted rib before leaving the loss to the Saints in the fourth quarter. He did not practice at all this week and will not play Sunday. Greenway made 90 straight starts and appeared in 115 consecutive games. Now that his impressive streak is over, Gerald Hodges gets the call.

KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES

Julio Jones, Atlanta's star receiver, entered Week 4 with a league-leading 365 receiving yards on 23 catches. Matt Ryan has hit him for three touchdowns, too. The Vikings drafted cornerback Xavier Rhodes to match up with fast, physical wideouts like Jones. But the Falcons will likely move Jones around, so it will take a team effort from Rhodes, Captain Munnerlyn and Josh Robinson to keep him in check.

Player to watch

MATT KALIL

The left tackle is trying to rebound from a pair of poor performances against the Patriots and the Saints. Kalil was beaten for three sacks in those two games, and no NFL offensive lineman has allowed more pressure to be put on his quarterbacks this season, according to Pro Football Focus. The Falcons have three sacks and no formidable pass rushers, so today could help Kalil get his groove back.