Teddy Bridgewater doesn’t play for the New Orleans Saints anymore, but he managed to help them out a bit by leading his Carolina Panthers to a 23-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. That improved his Panthers to 3-2, and functionally ended the Falcons’ season by plunging them to 0-5, which led to the firings of Dan Quinn and Thomas Dimitroff. The Saints will surely pass on their thanks when they play Bridgewater’s Panthers after their Week 6 bye.
But Bridgewater kept his attention on other happenings around the NFL in Week 5, like the return of Washington FT quarterback Alex Smith. Smith was named the backup against the Los Angeles Rams and got into the game after the starter, Kyle Allen, was injured. This was remarkable because it followed nearly two years of difficult recovery for Smith since his career-threatening leg injury in 2018.
It’s a journey Bridgewater is familiar with from his Minnesota Vikings days, and he took time to congratulate Smith on his comeback:
So good to see Alex Smith take the field again. A blessing to be able to return after the journey you’ve been on over these past couple of years. Only you, your family and the ones closest to you truly what it took to get back, amazing. A true fighter.
— Teddy Bridgewater (@teddyb_h2o) October 12, 2020
Unfortunately, another situation drew Bridgewater’s attention. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott went down late in his team’s game with the New York Giants with a season-ending ankle injury. And Bridgewater expressed sympathy for his fellow quarterback, wishing him a speedy recovery:
Praying for you @dak. I speak victory and healing favor over you during this time. You got this bra.
— Teddy Bridgewater (@teddyb_h2o) October 12, 2020
Moments like these make it easy to see why Bridgewater was such an popular addition to the Saints locker room. The guy is a class act through and through, having learned a lot by overcoming adversity. It’s just a shame Saints fans have to root against him twice a year.
