Andrew Sendejo's Suspension Upheld
- Vikings safety Andrew Sendejo will serve his one-game suspension in Week 8 after his appeal was denied, tweets Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. Sendejo, who earned his ban due to a hit on Ravens wide receiver Mike Wallace, will be off the field when Minnesota faces the Browns on Sunday. Instead, the Vikings will turn to Anthony Harris and Jayron Kearse to cover opposite All Pro Harrison Smith. The one-game suspension will cost Sendejo roughly $174K, the amount of a single game check.
Sendejo Suspended For One Game
- In other suspension news, today we learned that Vikings safety Andrew Sendejo has been suspended for one game because of his hit on Ravens receiver Mike Wallace, NFL Vice President of Football Communications Michael Signora announced on Twitter. The Ravens starting wideout went onto miss the rest of the game with a concussion, despite pleading with coaches to let him continue. The Minnesota defensive back was penalized for a personal foul on the play and will now have to miss their upcoming game against the Browns. The team has backup safeties Anthony Harris and Jayron Kearse to help replace the veteran for the contest.
NFC Notes: Vikings, Bridgewater, Redskins
The Vikings are wary of exposing Teddy Bridgewater to the slippery turf in London next week, sources tell Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The QB says he’s ready to go, but Minnesota is taking the cautious approach and waiting until the post-bye game in Week 10 to put Bridgewater on the roster. Of course, the Vikings may still have a tough choice to make when it comes to whether they will actually put him on the field. Case Keenum has looked sharp since stepping in for Sam Bradford, so the team could opt to continue with him as the starter.
- Now that Duane Brown is back with the Texans, the best available left tackle is now Will Beatty, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com opines (Twitter link). He notes that Beatty “recently” worked out for the Saints, but it’s not clear if that is in reference to his mid-September workout or if he had a more recent audition for New Orleans. Rapoport notes that the Saints had some offensive line injuries on Sunday, so he could be a fit for them now.
- Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who has been dealing with a knee injury, is pushing to play against Philly on Monday night (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL.com). Washington is hoping that Breeland will be somewhat close to 100% as Josh Norman is sidelined with a rib injury.
- Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee (on Twitter) wouldn’t be surprised if Leon Hall is back with the 49ers in the wake of K’Waun Williams‘ quad injury. The veteran was released by SF last week after earning two game checks, though he appeared in zero games.
Teddy Bridgewater Eyeing Week 10 Return
The Vikings and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater are targeting a Week 10 return for the fourth-year signal-caller, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link).
Bridgewater, of course, is currently on the physically unable to perform list after suffering a devastating knee injury during 2016 training camp, but he’s impressively battled back and is set to return to the field. The NFL’s PUP rules require a player to be activated within three weeks of initiating practice (which Bridgewater did last Wednesday), so Week 10 is actually the latest Bridgewater can come back.
“I’m very confident. I wouldn’t go out on that practice field if I wasn’t,” Bridgewater said last week. “I definitely believe I’ll play this year. It’s going to take some grit. That’s just the mindset.”
The fact that the Vikings will likely wait until the last possible week before activating Bridgewater speaks to the patience the club is practicing with its recovering quarterback, as Rapoport indicates. But it also sets up a situation where Minnesota could be choosing between Bridgewater, Sam Bradford, and Case Keenum under center. Bradford is expected to play again this season, while Keenum has performed admirably in relief of Bradford in five starts.
Reports on Bridgewater’s status have been positive through a half-week of practice, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com writes. Physically, Bridgewater appears larger and has added mass in his upper body, which is especially noticeable given that his slight stature was a predraft concern. Additionally, Bridgwater’s arm has “wowed” onlookers during his time on the field, per Pelissero.
Anthony Barr: "I Don't Play Dirty"
- After undergoing surgery earlier this week, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was placed on the injured reserve yesterday. Well, the player who caused that injury is now trying to clear his name. Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr told ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin that he isn’t a dirty player. “By no means was I trying to injure or take out Aaron Rodgers,” Barr said. “He’s one of, if not, the best player in this league. I’m not a dirty player. I don’t play dirty. We don’t preach that around here…It’s unfortunate, the injury. I hate to see anybody get hurt. It’s a gift and a privilege to be able to play on the field each week, so I would never try and take that away from anybody, let alone one of the best players in our game.”
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Zimmer Believes Bradford Will Play Again In '17
- Minnesota will also be without Stefon Diggs this weekend, with the Vikes’ No. 1 wide receiver set to miss a second straight game because of a groin injury.
- The Vikings are starting Case Keenum again this week, the team announced. Mike Zimmer, though, said he believes Sam Bradford will play again this season, per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. This will be Keenum’s fifth start of the year. Bradford’s status has gone from somewhat surprising inactive in Week 2 to being potentially out for six weeks to having the knee be categorized as worse than what’s been reported. Bradford consulted with a specialist last week, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com notes. The eighth-year quarterback saw this same specialist previously, per Zimmer. Teddy Bridgewater returned to practice but likely remains far away from playing in a game.
Kyle Sloter Odd Man Out In Minnesota?
- Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is confident that he’ll return this season, and the team may be forced to make a difficult roster decision. With the team currently rostering Sam Bradford and Case Keenum, third-stringer Kyle Sloter appears to be the odd man out. Of course, the undrafted rookie isn’t worried about future transactions, as he’s confident he’ll find a job elsewhere. “I’m not really too concerned day in and day out with my NFL future,’’ Sloter told Chris Tomasson of TwinCities.com. “I think that I’ll have a job.” The reporter also tweets that the organization could look to pass Sloter through waivers with hopes that he’ll land on their practice squad.
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Latest On Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater
After suffering a career-threatening knee injury in 2016, Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is confident he’ll see the field this season. The signal-caller returned to practice on Wednesday, and he told NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero that he “didn’t feel rusty at all.”
“I’m very confident. I wouldn’t go out on that practice field if I wasn’t,” Bridgewater said (via NFL.com’s Marc Sessler). “I definitely believe I’ll play this year. It’s going to take some grit. That’s just the mindset.”
The quarterback also told Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that he could have practiced several weeks ago had he been eligible to come off the injured reserve (Twitter link). After having torn his ACL last August, there were some reports stating that Bridgewater’s career could be in jeopardy. Instead, the 24-year-old ultimately returned to the field in less than 14 months. Bridgewater was officially cleared to practice earlier this week.
Sam Bradford was acquired by Minnesota last season and has filled in admirably during Bridgewater’s absence. Last season, the former first-overall pick completed a league-leading 71.6-percent of his passes for 3,877 yards, 20 touchdowns, and five interceptions. He completed 32 of his 43 attempts for 382 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in two games this season, but he’s struggled through injuries for much of the campaign. Case Keenum has been solid filling in, throwing for 1,134 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception.
While the Vikings may not be eager to rush Bridgewater back this season, there’s no denying he’d be vying for the starting gig in 2018. Bridgewater’s last full season came in 2015, when he threw for 3,231 yards, 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The former first-rounder also ran for 192 yards and three touchdowns on 44 carries.
Vikings’ Teddy Bridgewater Cleared To Practice
Teddy Bridgewater will soon be able to return to the field. The Vikings quarterback has been cleared to practice, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com hears (on Twitter). He got the green light from the very same doctor who performed the surgery on his dislocated knee. 
Bridgewater suffered a gruesome knee injury last August and missed the entirety of the 2016 season. At the time of the injury, it wasn’t certain when he would return or even if he would able to. After more than a year of difficult rehab work, Bridgewater is on the verge of being able to play.
Whether Bridgewater actually gets to see the field this season will depend on a few factors. Vikings starter Sam Bradford has been sidelined for the last game-and-a-half with a knee injury, but backup Case Keenum has proven to be a capable fill-in. If Bradford returns to full health or Keenum continues to roll, Bridgewater might not get the chance to take the field in 2017. However, he could be called upon if one or both QBs cannot get the job done.
Bridgewater will begin practicing on Wednesday. If the Vikings take Bridgewater off the PUP list, they will trigger a three-week window before having to decide whether to place him on the active roster or park him on injured reserve. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears that the team expects to activate him this week or next week.
Latest On Sam Bradford, Teddy Bridgewater
The Vikings are facing a quarterback crossroads, as are the quarterbacks themselves. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, Sam Bradford traveled to New York late this past week to begin Regenokine treatments in hopes of getting inflammation out of his ailing knee (the treatment involves drawing blood, spinning it down, and re-injecting it into the knee over the course of a few days). He is doing everything he can to ease the pain in his knee, but the fact that he missed three games due to the injury and then was pulled in the second quarter of last week’s contest is obviously not a good sign. In fact, Jay Glazer of FOX Sports said today that Bradford’s knee situation is worse than people know (Twitter link).