Vikings 41, Falcons 28
Rookie Teddy Bridgewater passed for 317 yards in his first NFL start before exiting in the final quarter as host Minnesota outscored Atlanta.
Rookie Jerick McKinnon rushed for 135 yards on 18 carries and Matt Asiata rushed for 78 yards and three touchdowns for the Vikings (2-2), who racked up 558 yards of total offense. Asiata scored the decisive touchdown with 10:50 remaining and Bridgewater departed at the time with an ankle injury and didn’t return.
Matt Ryan passed for 298 yards and three touchdowns and was intercepted twice for the Falcons (2-2). Julio Jones caught six passes for 82 yards and Antone Smith rushed for a touchdown that provided the lead late in the third quarter but Atlanta didn’t score again.
The Falcons trailed by 13 points early in the third quarter before Devin Hester caught a 36-yard scoring pass from Ryan and Smith dashed 48 yards for a score to give Atlanta a 28-27 lead. Asiata dove in from the 1 on fourth down and the ensuing two-point conversion pass gave Minnesota a 35-28 edge before Blair Walsh tacked on a 55-yard field goal with 3:38 to play and a 33-yarder with 1:14 left.
Bridgewater passed for 197 yards and rushed for a touchdown as Minnesota held a 24-14 halftime lead. Asiata rushed for two scores for the Vikings while Ryan threw touchdown passes to Roddy White and Patrick DiMarco.
GAME NOTEBOOK: White’s touchdown reception was his 57th, tying Terance Mathis (1994-2001) for most in franchise history. … Vikings WR Jarius Wright caught eight passes for 132 yards for his first career 100-yard receiving game. … Falcons LG Justin Blalock (back), C Joe Hawley (knee), RT Lamar Holmes (foot) and S William Moore (shoulder) all departed with injuries during the game.