After throwing for a career-high four touchdown passes in Week 10, the Minnesota Vikings quarterback has been named the NFL’s FedEx Air Player of the Week.
Coming off a game in which he threw for a career-high four touchdown passes at, oddly enough, FedEx Field, Case Keenum is the latest quarterback to be named the NFL’s FedEx Air Player of the Week.
This is the first time in Keenum’s career that he’s won the accolade, which is determined via fan voting. Keenum beat out both rookie C.J. Beathard of the San Francisco 49ers and former teammate (and Sunday adversary) Jared Goff of the Los Angeles Rams for the award.
It’s also the second time this season that Keenum has been up for the award. His surprise performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers back in Week 3 earned also earned him a nomination, but Keenum ultimately lost out to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady after the future Hall-of-Famer threw for 378 yards and five touchdowns against Houston.
Additionally, this the first time a Minnesota Vikings quarterback has won the award since Matt Cassel won it in Week 15 of the 2013 season. In that game, Cassel scored three touchdowns and threw for 382 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles in an upset victory.
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Although Keenum did throw two interceptions and had a shaky end to the game, his first 35 or so minutes of Sunday’s tilt were some of the best quarterbacking, statistically, that the Vikings have seen in years. The performance was also good enough for him to keep his starting job for at least another week.
This week, Keenum will face a tough test against a vicious Rams defense led by defensive tackle Aaron Donald and coached by Wade Phillips, two of the best at their respective positions in the NFL.
With Jared Goff, running back Todd Gurley, and company also more than capable of putting up their fair share of points, Keenum and the Minnesota offense will once again have to be on top of their game in order for the Vikings to keep their two-game cushion on the Detroit Lions in the NFC North.
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It’ll be a tall task, but Keenum has pleasantly surprised Minnesota and their fans all season. Hopefully, he can continue to do so this Sunday.