For a third straight week, the Vikings will be operating without their starting quarterback.
Mike Zimmer said (via Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, on Twitter) Thursday that Sam Bradford will miss another game, signalling a third Case Keenum start. Bradford remains out with a knee injury that cropped up before Week 2. Zimmer said (via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, on Twitter) Bradford is “feeling better, just not ready to play.”
Keenum struggled against the Steelers but led the Vikings to a dominant home win over the Buccaneers last weekend. He’ll face the Lions on Sunday. Bradford has not encountered any structural damage with a knee that’s endured plenty of it in his career, but it’s become a pain-management issue. And it’s clear from this determination three days before Minnesota’s Week 4 game the eighth-year quarterback isn’t ready yet.
The bone bruise Bradford’s sustained has become a significant issue for the Vikings, who traded for Bradford — in spite of his past knee trouble with the Rams — because of Teddy Bridgewater‘s severe knee injury. Bridgewater remains on the PUP list but is eligible to return come Week 7. With these weekly announcements piling up, it’s not clear if Bradford will be ready to return by then. That would put the Vikes in a strange spot.
Keenum completed 76 percent of his passes in a 375-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Bucs.