When the Panthers elected to move on from former NFL MVP Cam Newton, most assumed they would tank and get in the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes.
But they signed Teddy Bridgewater, a former Pro Bowler, and he has them off to a 3-4 start, including an impressive win over Arizona earlier this month.
“We brought Teddy here because we believed that he’s the quarterback that everybody sees and more,” Carolina coach Matt Rhule said. “We watched the tape. We went back to Minnesota. We talked about who he is as a person. We were convinced that he was the right guy. So, none of this is surprising to us one bit.”
Bridgewater was selected in the first round of the 2014 draft by the Vikings. He went to the Pro Bowl in his second season before suffering an horrific knee injury.
He missed the 2016 season and was released by the Vikings in 2017. He revived his career with New Orleans for two seasons.
He’s completed 169 of 234 passes (72.2%) for 1,930 yards, eight touchdowns and five interceptions. He has a passer rating of 99.1.
Bridgewater’s receivers are helping out with yards after the catch with 1,006 yards (52% of his passing yards), according to Pro Football Reference’s advanced stats. So, he’s throwing short passes that are going for long gains.
The Falcons, through film study, could take some calculated risk and jump some routes, as Terrell did against Minnesota in Week 6.
Also, 13.3% of his passes are poor throws per attempt, excluding spikes and throwaways. He’s been blitzed 71 times and sacked 13 times. He’s been hurried 22 times, had 19 scrambles on designed pass plays and is being pressured 17.3% on his drop backs.
Blitzing Bridgewater and perhaps jumping a few of the short routes may be a good strategy for the Falcons.
In the last meeting, the Falcons did not sack Bridgewater and had only four quarterback hits.
Falcons' next four games
Falcons at Panthers at 8:20 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29
Broncos at Falcons at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 8
Bye Week
Falcons at Saints at 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22
Las Vegas Raiders at Falcons at 1 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 29
The Bow Tie Chronicles Podcasts:
Can be found on Google, iTunes and TuneIn
For more content about the Atlanta Falcons
Follow me on Twitter @DorlandoAJC
On Facebook at Atlanta Falcons News Now
Atlanta Falcons coverage on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Have a question? Email me at dledbetter@ajc.com
About the Author
