Because of what they had seen from the moment Teddy Bridgewater walked through the door at Winter Park, nobody on the Vikings was surprised about what happened Sunday in a very loud Superdome in New Orleans.

With starting quarterback Matt Cassel carted off after breaking his left foot, Bridgewater took a big step by entering the game with his team down and playing relatively well in the Vikings' 20-9 loss to the Saints.

The rookie "quarterback of the future" completed 12 of 20 passes for 150 yards. He didn't have a TD throw, but he didn't throw an interception, either. He used his athletic ability to run when needed. And he never blinked, at least metaphorically.

And that's what had his teammates excited Monday.

"We've seen him since OTAs and throughout the season so far," center John Sullivan said. "And he's been incredibly poised. Obviously it's a difficult circumstance. It's never fun to come in as a backup. But he came in, handled it well, led us on some drives. A lot of poise for a rookie. I mean, an incredible amount. … I think we should win every single game we play with him at quarterback.''

Hyperbole aside, Bridgewater's calm in the face of a Superdome storm was impressive but will need to continue. For the 1-2 Vikings to make something of the young season, they need Bridgewater to play well.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer didn't say how long Cassel will be out. More will be known after the quarterback visits with a specialist Thursday. Depending on how that visit goes, Zimmer said the team might consider adding a quarterback; an ESPN report Monday said former Vikings backup McLeod Bethel-Thompson would be signed to the team's practice squad.

But, for at least the near future — and for, perhaps, the rest of the season — the No. 1 job will be Bridgewater's, with Christian Ponder elevated to the No. 2 role.

"I feel like he's ready," receiver Jarius Wright said. "I played a lot with Teddy in the preseason games, so my confidence in Teddy is 100 percent. His poise, the way he carries himself, he definitely carries himself like a vet.''

Coach is confident

Bridgewater did not talk to the media Monday, but after Sunday's game he said, "I wasn't nervous at all. This is where I wanted to be. Unfortunately, the way it happened wasn't the way I expected it to. I was just able to go out there and relax and look at my teammates and have them trust me."

Perhaps it was a comment on how he felt Bridgewater had played, but Zimmer sounded much more concerned about the rest of the injuries coming out of Sunday's game than he did about the quarterback who will start Sunday against Atlanta at TCF Bank Stadium.

"Nothing really flusters him," Zimmer said of Bridgewater. "He's always been great in blitz period, two-minute period, all the pressure situations we have him in [in practice]. We're looking forward to getting him here at home, in front of our fans. I think that situation will help him a little bit. The kid has all the talent in the world. He's smart, he's tough, he's a quick thinker, he's quick with his feet.''

Playing with poise

Expect the Vikings to take advantage of those quick feet, tweaking the offense to take advantage of Bridgewater's strengths; Zimmer thinks Bridgewater's mobility might keep defenses a bit more honest.

Fullback Jerome Felton said Bridgewater was a relatively quiet but confident quarterback when he hit the huddle Sunday.

"He's humble, he works hard," Felton said. "We know he'll be prepared. We're looking forward to what he can do, with a full week of preparation as a starter.''

Ponder, who talked with Bridgewater extensively during Sunday's game, knows one thing: Bridgewater will be confident.

"I remember the first preseason game I asked Teddy if he was nervous or not," Ponder said. "And, of course, he said no. And I thought, he's just a liar. But this guy doesn't get nervous. The guy has a ton of poise and played extremely well [Sunday]. And I expect that to continue."