EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. - From the moment the Minnesota Vikings traded back into the first round to take Teddy Bridgewater, it was only a matter of time before he took over as the teams starting quarterback. When Bridgewater makes his first start on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, he will be in line for something even bigger a€” the new face of the franchise. With Adrian Peterson away from the team while he faces child abuse charges, the Vikings are searching for a new identity while the chaos from Petersons legal troubles and injuries to several high-profile players threaten to derail the team less than a month into the season. In steps Bridgewater, the unflappable rookie, and all he has to do is pull the Vikings out of a spiral and step into the void left by Petersons departure. No pressure, Teddy. Its no pressure on me and its not all about me, Bridgewater said Wednesday. It takes a team effort to win football games and we have 11 guys on defence who are going to play their tails off. We have 11 guys on special teams and 10 other guys on the offensive side of the ball that are going to be out there competing for one another. Theres no pressure for me to have to fill the needs or anything. ... Its just all about the team. With quarterback Matt Cassel lost for the season with a foot injury and Peterson out indefinitely while the legal process plays out, the Vikings have become Teddys team much faster than anyone expected. The Vikings traded back into the first round on the opening night of the draft to snag Bridgewater in hopes that he could finally become the long-term answer at quarterback the team has been searching for ever since Daunte Culpepper went down with a knee injury in 2005. Peterson was expected to continue to be the teams star player for at least another season or two, providing a cocoon for the young quarterback while he got his feet underneath him. That all changed two weeks ago with Petersons stunning arrest in a child-abuse charge in Texas. Ready or not, its Teddy Time in Minnesota. Honestly, coach Mike Zimmer said, I think hes been ready since the day he walked in. The Vikings started the season with the veteran Cassel, hoping to ease Bridgewaters transition and give him some time to get acclimated to NFL life. While Cassel was running with the starters, Bridgewater distinguished himself by not distinguishing himself at all. Earlier on draft night, Minnesota attempted to trade up to No. 22 to grab Johnny Manziel, the flamboyant Texas A&M quarterback. But Cleveland outbid the Vikings, who then set their sights on Bridgewater. While Manziel has drawn headlines for his party-hearty lifestyle off the field, Bridgewater has been whisper quiet in the meeting rooms and sound bite-proof in his interactions with the media. He doesnt really get overwhelmed, fullback Jerome Felton said. He works hard. Hes humble. He comes prepared. So I think thats the biggest thing. He prepares himself well. Hes in here early, leaves late, so hell be just fine. Bridgewater stepped in for the injured Cassel on Sunday and completed 12 of 20 passes for 150 yards against a New Orleans defence that played the pass very aggressively with Peterson gone. The offence didnt score a touchdown with him in the game, but his ability to handle the heat carried over from his turns in the huddle during the preseason. I remember the first preseason game I asked Teddy whether he was nervous or not and of course he said no. And I thought, you know, hes just a liar, backup quarterback Christian Ponder said. But the guy doesnt get nervous. The guy has a ton of poise and played extremely well. I expect that to continue the next game and so on. When Bridgewater takes the field for his first game as a starter on Sunday against Atlanta (2-1), he wont have Peterson to take his handoffs. He wont have tight end Kyle Rudolph, who will miss about six weeks after having sports hernia surgery, to catch his passes and he wont have starting right guard Brandon Fusco, who is out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle, to block for him. He also wont have a big entourage in the stands. Bridgewater said earlier this season a€” while he was still Cassels backup a€” he put six people, including his mother, girlfriend and agent, on a list to watch the game. Now that hes starting, the number hasnt changed. I gave myself a moment Monday morning, Bridgewater said. I woke up and told myself, Hey, your dream is finally here and its coming true. Its not the way that I wanted it to happen, but Im still going to have to take advantage of this opportunity. Its one thing to be named the guy, but for me I want to continue to just be the guy for a long time. Sonny Jurgensen Jersey .com) - The Vancouver Canucks will try to win two straight games for the first time since mid-January on Monday night as they play host to the struggling New York Islanders. John Riggins Jersey . Coverage on TSN is underway now while action resumes on TSN2 at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. TSN GO also offers TSN subscribers bonus online coverage, with live streams of all four venues. http://www.theredskinsshoponline.com/You...edskins-Jersey/. He liked what he saw on Tuesday night. Not only did his team post a comeback 3-2 victory in a shootout over the Montreal Canadiens, but the rival Washington Capitals were beaten 5-1 in Buffalo. Russ Grimm Jersey . -- Adrian Peterson remained in a walking boot to treat a high ankle sprain on his left leg on Wednesday, and coach Leslie Frazier said he will not play on Sunday against Atlanta if he cant hit the practice field in the next two days. Art Monk Jersey . Four years after winning gold on home ice in Vancouver, the Canadians will get a chance to make it two in a row Sunday against Sweden after beating the United States 1-0 in the Olympic semifinals Friday at Bolshoy Ice Dome. HOUSTON -- Dwight Howard had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and Jeremy Lin came off the bench to score 21 points and help the Houston Rockets beat the Portland Trail Blazers 108-98 on Wednesday night to avoid elimination. The Trail Blazers lead the first-round series 3-2 entering Game 6 on Friday in Portland. A basket by Damian Lillard got the Trail Blazers within two points before James Harden stepped back and swished a 3-pointer to make it 103-98 with about three minutes left. The shot brought the crowd, which was clad almost completely in red shirts emblazoned with the words "Clutch City" on them, to its feet. That started an 8-0 Houston run to close it out. Harden finished with 17 points and seven assists. Houston finally slowed down LaMarcus Aldridge, limiting him to eight points, after he averaged 35.3 points in the first four games. Wesley Matthews led the Blazers with 27 points and Lillard added 26. Lin got extended minutes on Wednesday night with Pat Beverley dealing with an illness. Beverley had five points in 21 minutes. The Rockets led by as many as 17 points in the first half. Portland cut it to one point three times in the fourth quarter, but never went back on top. Terrence Jones added a basket for Houston after the big 3 by Harden before Howard got after Aldridge on the other end. He blocked his short jump shot, sending it out of bounds. Portland got the ball back and Aldridge got the ball again, but he badly missed a shot with Howard in his face as the shot clock expired, leaving Aldridge yelling for a foul. The Rockets were up by nine early in the fourth quarter after four quick points from Lin before Portland used an 8-0 run, with the first four points from Nicolas Batum, to cut the lead to 91-90 with 7:39 remaining. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Matthews cut Houstons lead to 62-58 early in the third quarter. He added 12 more points in the period to finish with 18 of Portlands 29 points. Howard and Lin carried the Rockets in the thirdd, combining for 18 points.dddddddddddd. Howard had 10 and Lin scored the rest, including a long two as the shot clock expired with Lillard right in his face. Matthews, who was 4 for 5 from long range in the third, made two 3-pointers within 20 seconds late in the quarter to cut Houstons lead to two points. But Lin finished off the quarter with a three-point play to make it 82-77 entering the fourth. Robin Lopez received a flagrant-1 foul when he fouled Howard in the air while fighting for a rebound and pulled him to the ground by the shoulders on the way down. Howard made one of two free throws to stretch Houstons lead to 74-68 with three minutes left in the quarter. Houston led by three after one and used an 11-0 run to start the second quarter and go up 41-27. Jones scored the first four points in that span and rookie Troy Daniels capped it with a 3-pointer. The Trail Blazers had six turnovers while the Rockets built the lead and didnt score until a pair of free throws by Aldridge with about nine minutes left until halftime. Howard picked up his third foul soon after that and went to the bench. Portland scored the next five points to get within seven but the Rockets used a 10-0 spurt to push the lead to 51-34. Lin had a reverse layup and a 3-pointer during that run. The Trail Blazers ended the first half with a 14-5 run, with eight points from Lillard, to cut the lead to 56-48 at halftime. Aldridge had just six points at halftime after sitting out about half of the first quarter after getting his second foul. NOTES: The Trail Blazers wore patches on their jerseys to honour Hall of Famer Jack Ramsay, who died on Monday at 89. Ramsay coached the team to an NBA title in 1977. The plaid patch has the words "Dr. Jack" and a "77" to honour the championship team. The Blazers will wear the patch for the remainder of the post-season. ... Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon watched from a courtside seat. ... Chandler Parsons added 20 points for Houston. 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