EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — Unable to play last Thursday because of the short week, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is now declaring that his left ankle will be good to go with an extra 10 days off before Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions at TCF Bank Stadium.

“I’ve been able to spend a bunch of time in the training room since we got back from Green Bay,” Bridgewater said. “So the ankle is feeling good and I’m excited to get back out there for this weekend.”

Equally excited are his teammates, coaches and Vikings fans. Rarely does a switch from a veteran quarterback to a rookie come with this much relief, but that’s how distinctly different Bridgewater’s NFL starting debut was on Sept. 28 against Atlanta compared to Christian Ponder’s latest fiasco four days later in Green Bay.

Against Atlanta, Bridgewater threw for 317 yards, ran for a touchdown and became the first quarterback in franchise history to record his first fourth-quarter comeback victory in his first NFL start.

Four days later, Ponder, who started the year as the No. 3 quarterback, laid his latest stinker in a 42-10 loss. His two second-quarter interceptions, including a pick-six, led to 14 points and a 28-0 halftime deficit. Ponder’s passer rating at halftime: 13.4.

“It was very hard just watching, especially being a competitor,” Bridgewater said. “You want to be out there with the guys.”

Coach Mike Zimmer took the decision out of the rookie’s hands. But the coach said Wednesday that he expects Bridgewater to start when the 2-3 Vikings try to beat the 3-2 Lions for the 16th time in the past 17 meetings in Minnesota.

Bridgewater will face a Lions defense that’s ranked No. 1 overall and No. 2 in scoring. He said the ankle should affect his underrated mobility against one of the NFL’s better front fours.

“On Sunday, I’ll be able to just play full speed,” he said.

Defensively, there is no savior slated to come back from injury. In fact, the Vikings are hoping not to lose their best defender, free safety Harrison Smith, who sprained an ankle against the Packers. Smith didn’t practice Wednesday, but Zimmer said he expects Smith to play on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Vikings are preparing as if they’ll face receiver Calvin Johnson and running back Reggie Bush despite reports that Lions coach Jim Caldwell will rest both of them because of ankle injuries.

Johnson has 62 catches for 873 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games against the Vikings.

“I’d be joking if I said they’d be the exact same (without Johnson or Bush),” Zimmer said. “But we’re not good enough to take anybody lightly or worry about anything with who isn’t going to be there and who is going to be there.”

SERIES HISTORY: 106th regular-season meeting. Vikings lead series, 69-34-2. Vikings are 38-13-1 at home and have won 15 of the past 16 meetings. The only loss came in that stretch came in 2011, when the Vikings blew a 20-0 halftime lead and lost 26-23 in overtime.

-FS Harrison Smith did not practice Wednesday because of an ankle sprain, but was spotted running without favoring the ankle during the portion of practice that was open to reporters. Smith was working out with an athletic trainer off to the side. Before practice, Zimmer said he expected Smith to play on Sunday. … WR Jarius Wright returned to practice Wednesday after missing Tuesday’s workout because of what he called a “family issue.” Wright is third on the team with 14 catches. … LB Chad Greenway, who has missed the past two games because of a broken hand and broken ribs, will try to practice at some point this week. He didn’t practice Wednesday, but was working out off to the side with an athletic trainer. Look for Greenway to miss one more game at least. … TE Kyle Rudolph, who is still weeks from returning from hernia surgery, didn’t practice on Wednesday. … WR Cordarrelle Patterson, who has only four catches for 46 yards the past two games, was limited in practice because of a hip injury suffered against the Packers on Thursday.

GAME PLAN: It isn’t often that a team feels this much better going from a veteran quarterback back to a rookie, but the difference between veteran Christian Ponder and rookie Teddy Bridgewater is immense in practically every area of quarterbacking.

None more so than ball security. Ponder never gave the Vikings a chance in their 42-10 loss at Green Bay. His two second-quarter interceptions, including a pick-six, led to 14 points and a 28-0 halftime deficit. Bridgewater needs to take care of the ball, which he’s good at, and the defense needs to make the Lions one-dimensional by taking away a running game that ranks 28th in the league.

If the run defense can post a rare strong outing, it can get after quarterback Matthew Stafford, who might be without his top two weapons, receiver Calvin Johnson and running back Reggie Bush. Without Johnson and Bush, the Vikings can focus on shutting down Golden Tate. If they do that, Stafford will take longer in the pocket and will be vulnerable, considering the Lions’ 17 sacks allowed are the second highest in the league.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

Lions WR Golden Tate, who could be Detroit’s main receiving threat again with Calvin Johnson hobbled or out with an ankle sprain, vs. Vikings CB Xavier Rhodes, who is second on the team in passes defensed. With Johnson injured, Tate has had 15 catches for 250 yards and a touchdown the past two weeks. Rhodes has given the Vikings the kind of consistently tight coverage they were expecting when they selected the big corner in the first round a year ago.

Lions CB Rashean Mathis, who had an interception return for a touchdown against the Bills last week, vs. Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater, who appears ready to return from the ankle injury that sidelined him against the Bears. Bridgewater hasn’t thrown an interception in 50 regular-season passes. He also didn’t throw on in 49 preseason passes. Mathis is a 12-year veteran with a 6-1 frame and the savvy to fool a rookie. Bridgewater, however, plays with the poise, vision and careful nature of a veteran.