You’d have gotten all sorts of funny looks had you said before the season that today’s 4:25 EST game on FOX between the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings would be an interesting show of quarterbacks. Yet here we are, with the 2-1 Falcons taking on the 1-2 Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium, and the QBs are the talk of the town.
Atlanta has the NFL’s No. 1 offense headed into today’s Falcons game live, the direct result of QB Matt Ryan delivering the NFL’s top-rated passing game. Though Atlanta ranks just 16th on the ground, they haven’t needed much from their running backs with Ryan on the case.
A big part of Ryan’s success can be attributed to his support on the offensive line. The Falcons picked up guard Jon Asamoah in free agency and drafted tackle Jake Matthews this year. In spite of Matthews being a rookie, in the one game he missed, Ryan tossed three picks and had a 48.6 QBR. That’s just over half of his second-ranked QBR for the season (85.5).
While the Falcons know what they’re getting in today’s Vikings game, Minnesota has a bit more of a wildcard. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is getting his first start in today’s Falcons game live as Matt Cassel sits out due to injury. Bridgewater played well against the Saints last week, and although they lost 20-9, the Vikings were only outscored by one point with Bridgewater in the game.
Bridgewater’s mobility should challenge the Falcons defense. Although Atlanta got three sacks last week in their 56-14 win, they haven’t been playing that well overall. If the Falcons defense establishes itself and pressures Bridgewater early, that could give Atlanta QB Ryan that much more time to work his magic.
You can watch today’s Falcons Vikings game live on TV on FOX. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:25pm EST / 1:25pm PST. You can also watch Falcons vs Vikings game online stream free live NFL Week 4 using the FOX Sports video website or DirecTV’s website. The latter requires you to have a subscription to the NFL Sunday Ticket MAX package, but subscribers can watch the game online free via the DirecTV live stream on a smartphone, tablet or PC.
