MINNEAPOLIS — Teddy Bridgewater passed for 317 yards and rushed for a touchdown as the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Atlanta Falcons 41-28 Sunday at TCF Bank Stadium — although the rookie quarterback went to the locker room on a cart with 6:11 left in game for X-rays on his left ankle.

When the tests were negative, Bridgewater came back to the sideline to witness the end of the game, but did not return. He was smiling when he left the field at the end of the game but appeared to have a slight limp.

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer isn’t a doctor, but said if it’s up to him, there’s no question Bridgewater will be ready to make his second NFL start Thursday when the Vikings travel to Green Bay for a game against the Packers.

“He’s going to get an MRI (on Monday),” Zimmer said. “But I told him he’s fine.”

Bridgewater was the fourth rookie since 1980 to win his first start passing for at least 300 yards, joining Eric Zeier, Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins.

Making his first start in the National Football League, chants of “Ted-dy, Ted-dy” from the more than 52,000 in attendance came almost every time Bridgewater stepped onto the field. The rookie from Louisville showed poise, connecting on enough big plays to keep the Vikings’ offense moving to the tune of 558 total yards of offense.

“Teddy is the same all the time, he’s always got the same demeanor,” Zimmer said. “It’s just amazing to be around this kid. He’s a good kid. I’m proud he’s on my team.”

When they got close to the goal line, it was running back Matt Asiata who did the dirty work, tying a career-high with three touchdowns, the longest of which came from six yards.

Away from the goal line, it was rookie running back Jerick McKinnon doing the damage, rushing 18 times for 135 yards — the first 100-yard game of his brief NFL career.

“That’s what we wanted to do, help take the pressure off Teddy,” Asiata said. “But he didn’t need it.”

Wide receiver Jarius Wright also set a career high with eight receptions for 132 yards, including a 52-yard reception on the Vikings’ drive to set up Asiata’s first score of the day.

“Anytime you have more than 500 yards of total offense, it’s a great feeling,” Bridgewater said. “That was a total team effort. It’s not about me. All I have to do is drop back and put the ball in the playmakers’ hands.”

Asiata’s third score of the day gave Minnesota a 33-28 lead with just over 10 minutes to play. On the play before, Bridgewater scrambled to the 1 and appeared to have his left ankle rolled up on. He finished the drive by handing off to Asiata and then was taken to the locker room for X-rays.

That meant giving way to much-maligned quarterback Christian Ponder, who after an Atlanta punt, promptly led Minnesota on a short scoring drive, going 18 yards on five plays to get into position for a 55-yard field goal by Blair Walsh that gave the Vikings a 38-28 lead.

Looking for points on their next drive, Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan was intercepted by safety Harrison Smith at the Falcons 30 with just over three minutes remaining. Walsh connected on his fourth field goal of the day to provide the final margin.

“Obviously we did a great job offensively,” Zimmer said. “Defensively, we had a few bonehead things we have to fix. But I like how this team competes, I like how it works, I like how it studies.”

What the Vikings said:

“We did a better job up front of moving people, did a better job of hitting the holes. I challenged us, I wanted us to rush for a certain number of yards, and we surpassed that by quite a bit.” — Coach Mike Zimmer.

What the Falcons said:

“You’re not going to win games in the NFL when you’re not getting stops. It was the middle of the third quarter before we were able to get a stop.” — Falcons coach Mike Smith.

What we learned about the Vikings:

1. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater has more nicknames than games played in the NFL. But whether it is just Teddy, Teddy Touchdown or Teddy Two-Gloves, through six NFL quarters, Bridgewater looks like a keeper. Making his first NFL start Sunday, Bridgewater completed 63 percent of his passes for 317 yards. He also produced 27 yards and a touchdown on the ground in a rousing debut in front of his home fans. Perhaps more impressive was his poise, according to coach Mike Zimmer. “Teddy is the same all the time, he’s always got the same demeanor,” Zimmer said. “It’s just amazing to be around this kid. He’s a good kid. I’m proud he’s on my team.”

The biggest question now is Bridgewater’s health. The rookie left the game in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. X-rays were negative and he will have an MRI on Monday.

2. Life without Adrian Peterson will be a lot easier if the two-headed rushing attack of Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon plays as it did Sunday. Asiata carried 20 times for 78 yards and three bruising touchdowns, while McKinnon rushed for 135 yards on 18 carries, including a 55-yard scamper in the second quarter. “After the (Adrian Peterson) situation, we just have to come together and play as one,” Asiata said.

–RB Matt Asiata rushed for 78 yards on 20 carries for three touchdowns. It was the second time in his career Asiata has scored three rushing touchdowns in a game, tying a career high.

–RB Jerick McKinnon carried the ball 18 times for 135 yards, his first career 100-yard game. McKinnon’s day got off to a hot start as he busted off a 55-yard run on his first attempt of the day in the second quarter.

–WR Jarius Wright hauled in eight passes for 132 yards, both career highs. Wright, who entered the game with three receptions for 37 yards in Minnesota’s first three games, had long surpassed those totals by halftime with five catches for 105 yards through 30 minutes.

What we learned about the Falcons:

1. The Falcons are a different team on the road. In two games away the Georgia Dome, Atlanta is 0-2, allowing 65 points. It is a concerning trend for coach Mike Smith and his team, who began a stretch Sunday where five of their next seven games will be on the road. “We’re going to be getting into a stretch here where we’re playing a lot of games on the road,” Smith said. “Our concern right now is, we play like two different football teams depending on where the location of the game is.”

2. Atlanta’s defense entered the day rated No. 5 in the NFL, but it is clear there is still plenty of work to be done. The Vikings did whatever they want offensively Sunday, rushing for 241 yards and passing for another 317 in what was a rough day for the Falcons’ front seven. Smith mentioned a litany of errors, both physical and mental, but said he expects those mistakes to be corrected ahead of next Sunday’s game at the New York Giants. “I don’t think we controlled the line of scrimmage at all like we need to,” Falcons linebacker Paul Worrilow said. “You need to stop the run to set your defense up and get third downs to put yourself in position to get off the field. We didn’t do that.”

–DB William Moore left the game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury and did not return. With Moore out, the Vikings threw for 317 yards and rolled up 558 yards of total offense.

–LG Justin Blalock left the game in the second quarter with a back injury and did not return. Blalock has started every game since the start of the 2008 season, and he started 14 of 16 games as a rookie in 2007.

–C Joe Hawley left the game on a cart on the final play of the third quarter with an apparent leg injury.

–RT Lamar Holmes left the game in the third quarter with a right foot injury and did not return. The loss of three offensive linemen meant TE Levine Toilolo was manning the right tackle spot by the end of the game.

–RB Antone Smith rushed for 62 yards on just four carries, aided by a 48-yard touchdown that rallied the Falcons from 13 points down in the third quarter. “Every time he has the ball, something good happens,” Atlanta QB Matt Ryan said.