What is the most pivotal Vikings game of the last decade?
By Dustin Baker
Two new eras began during the night
The dawn of Mitchell Trubisky is largely unimportant to the day-to-day operation of the Minnesota Vikings, but he is the quarterback of a team within the NFC North division no less.
What was important was the commencement of Case Keenum’s brief tenure as starting quarterback for the Vikings. Keenum’s Vikings would win thirteen games in 2017 while only dropping three contests. Those regular-season losses came to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions, and Carolina Panthers.
As a future-telling component to the Vikings recent history, Keenum’s success in 2017 was gravely important. An eventual trip to the NFC Championship arguably coalesced Mike Zimmer’s job security in forthcoming seasons. Keenum’s wherewithal also sparked a debate pertaining to the future of the quarterback position. The contentious topics of the subsequent offseason were:
- Extend Keenum “for cheap”
- Revert back to Teddy Bridgewater and his uncertain capabilities
- Ink a free agent, Kirk Cousins, for top dollar
General Manager Rick Spielman and the Minnesota Vikings chose option three.