Sam Bradford’s mysterious knee injury possibly revealed
By Adam Patrick
A report came out on Monday about how a bone bruise kept the Minnesota Vikings quarterback from suiting up in Week 2 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
When the news came about that Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford was inactive for the team’s Week 2 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, it was a bit of a surprise to say the least.
After all, Bradford seemed fine after his performance in the Vikings’ opening week win over the New Orleans Saints. And if anything, the quarterback being placed on the team’s Week 2 injury report just seemed like Minnesota following proper league protocol.
But then Sunday came and Bradford attempted to see how his knee felt prior to kickoff in Pittsburgh. It did not take very long for the quarterback and the team’s staff to realize that he was not going to play against the Steelers.
Following Minnesota’s loss in Pittsburgh on Sunday, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer was asked about his injured quarterback after the game and ended up talking to the media like they were a bunch of oblivious toddlers.
On Monday, it was revealed that the injury which kept Bradford out of action in Week 2 appears to be a bone bruise. This according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.
#Vikings QB Sam Bradford is believed to have a bone bruise, source said. They'll see how his knee responds to an injection and go from there
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 18, 2017
Zimmer also spoke to the media on Monday and answered more questions about Bradford’s possible return date.
"“He feels better today. I anticipate that when he is ready to practice and he is ready to play, that he will play. Honestly, I don’t have a crystal ball. I know you guys want to ask me about all these things but I don’t have a crystal ball.We’ll know (more) as we continue to move forward, it’s probably day-by-day. We’ll just keep going. If I could tell you more about it, I would.”"
From what it sounds like, Bradford has a good chance to start in Week 3 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Especially given how horrendous the Vikings’ pass offense looked in Pittsburgh on Sunday with Case Keenum as their starting quarterback.
The team can say they are fine with Keenum playing another game or two (which Zimmer actually did say on Monday), but in reality, they do not want another repeat performance of what happened in Week 2. It would be very surprising if Bradford is not starting for the Vikings next Sunday against the Buccaneers.
Then again, no one thought he would be inactive for Week 2. So who really knows?