Sid Hartman: Vikings reserves step up when given the opportunity

I was one who believed that the Vikings had no chance Sunday of beating Atlanta — not with the Purple having suffered so many recent injuries to key performers plus the benching of running back Adrian Peterson, while the Falcons had extra time to prepare after winning their Week 3 game on a Thursday night with an impressive 56-14 rout of Tampa Bay, in which Matt Ryan completed 21 of 24 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns.

Over the course of the first three games of the season, the Vikings saw Peterson sidelined indefinitely because of his child abuse case in Texas; saw starting quarterback Matt Cassel and right guard Brandon Fusco lost for the season to injuries; and saw starting Pro Bowl tight end Kyle Rudolph knocked out for at least six weeks. And then the captain of the defense, linebacker Chad Greenway, couldn't play against the Falcons because of injury as well.

But in a conversation last week, offensive coordinator Norv Turner said he was confident the Vikings backups would produce.

"We have some challenges to meet, but I really believe some guys are going to step up," Turner said. "We have a lot of guys here who have been working and waiting for an opportunity to play."

As it turned out, Turner's prediction came true.

Rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater made his first start and looked like a veteran, and he found a favorite receiver in Jarius Wright, who had career highs of 10 receptions for 132 yards. Wright had three receptions for 37 yards in the Vikings' first two games. Against New Orleans, he never had the ball thrown to him.

In addition, the running game returned, with Matt Asiata rushing 20 times for 79 yards and three touchdowns. Asiata had a couple of notable games at the end of last season, rushing for three touchdowns in Week 15 against Philadelphia and then gaining 115 yards in the Metrodome finale against Detroit, but this performance was big considering he had been shut down as the Vikings' primary running back each of the past two weeks.

On Sunday, the third-round draft pick from Georgia Southern was a big reason for the Vikings victory, carrying the ball 18 times for 135 yards. The performances of McKinnon and Asiata against the Falcons made it look like the Vikings are capable of handling the extended absence of Peterson.

Vikings coach Mike Zimmer was asked if his team's game plan Sunday was to use McKinnon that much.

"We have talked about getting him in the ballgame some more," Zimmer said. "He's got a lot of explosiveness, and we wanted to use some of his speed to the perimeter. He did a couple of good inside runs, too."

Yes, Bridgewater, making his first start, was one of the great contributors to the victory until he injured his ankle in the fourth quarter.

Bridgewater, showing great poise for a rookie, completed 19 of 30 passes for 317 yards for an excellent 98.9 rating. Zimmer and Turner had predicted great things for the first-round selection out of Louisville.

I have been saying for some time that contrary to what others thought, Ponder might get an opportunity to play this season. He was not happy about Bridgewater getting hurt, but he said he was ready to play when called on.

When I was visiting with Bridgewater after the game, he said he wasn't surprised that things went as well as they did.

Asked if his passing for 300 yards in his first start exceeded his expectations, Bridgewater said: "I think it sets the bar pretty high. Coach Turner, he always talks about playing better than you played the week before. For me, I just have to continue to build off the momentum that I have and not try to get besides myself or out of my character."

Bridgewater wanted to compliment other players who were responsible for the victory.

"Matt [Asiata] has been great for us in the backfield," Bridgewater said. "Matt, he had an opportunity to suit up for this team along with McKinnon. There is a ton of other guys — think about Gerald Hodges [who played for Greenway] and Vlad Ducasse [who played for Fusco], guys who had their number called. Coach Turner mentioned early this week not to blink an eye. Adversity is going to strike, things are going to happen throughout the season. But we're not going to blink an eye. We have continued to play well."

"He has a mix of a number of guys I have been with," Turner said. "He has a great attitude about football. He's a very accurate passer. One thing he reminds me of, and compares with the guy we saw last week in Drew Brees, is he's very quick with the ball. He makes very quick decisions and he's very accurate."

Turner was the offensive coordinator for San Diego in Brees' first NFL season.

"Teddy is his own guy," Turner said. "The one thing he's got is outstanding feet, very quick feet. I think people have seen that when he's played, the escape-ability gives him an added dimension."

Appearing on NBC, Tony Dungy talked about how important Bridgewater's part was in Sunday's victory.

"It's amazing, when you get good quarterback play, it makes the whole team play better, and Bridgewater was poised," Dungy said. "… He was special today in his first start."

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported last week that Hageman, a second-round draft pick, played in 37 percent of the Falcons' defensive snaps in their rout of the Buccaneers. It was the most plays for Hageman on the season. In Week 1 against New Orleans he played on 20 percent of snaps, and in Week 2 against Cincinnati he played on 15 percent of snaps.

As for Hageman's performance Sunday, he saw very limited action and had no tackles.