Written by AP At USA Today.com
The Minnesota Vikings have been eager to see Teddy Bridgewater take back the job he lost to the devastating injury to his left knee.
With the way Case Keenum has been playing, well, this might be a long wait.
“It’s going to be hard to yank him out of there right now. He’s playing good,” coach Mike Zimmer said after Keenum and the Vikings defeated the Los Angeles Rams 24-7 on Sunday afternoon in a matchup of NFC division leaders. “I still have really high hopes for Teddy, and a lot of things happen throughout the course of the season, so we’ll just see how it goes.”
Keenum has started six and finished seven of Minnesota’s eight victories this year, after Sam Bradford was waylaid by left knee trouble following a convincing win over New Orleans in the opener.
Bridgewater wowed his coaches and teammates with his dedication to the comeback that began almost 15 months ago when he was badly hurt in practice right before the 2016 season was beginning. He returned to the active roster two weeks ago, with Bradford on injured reserve. Having received full medical clearance for game action again, the feeling around the Vikings has been that Bridgewater will start sooner than later. Keenum has 32 career starts, but he’s been a backup more than not.
Zimmer has stopped short thus far of declaring Keenum the permanent starter, preferring to announce his decision on a weekly basis. The head coach’s statement about his status, however, after Keenum went 27 for 38 for 280 yards and one touchdown against his old team made it clear as it’s been all year that the Vikings are comfortable riding him as long as his right hand is hot . Minnesota (8-2) has won six straight games.
“He’s the coach. It’s his decision. I’m here to play. So however he wants to do it, I’m here,” Keenum said. “I want to be the best player I can be for this team. So I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing every week and keep answering the same questions and just keep getting ready to play.”
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