Case Keenum – QB (2017)
This was a beautifully odd marriage.
Vikings starting signal-caller Sam Bradford succumbed to a long history of knee injuries in the early part of the 2017 season. Case Keenum was the next man up on Minnesota’s the roster and he delivered.
The Vikings endured a topsy-turvy 2-2 start which included losing their starting quarterback, Bradford, and running back Dalvin Cook. With those two out of the way, Minnesota won their next 11 of 12 games. The defense was ablaze at all times and the Vikings made a playground offense work to near-perfection.
Keenum often played with a go-for-broke mentality, a tendency that usually makes head coach Mike Zimmer spit nails. Time after time, though, it worked in 2017.
The journeyman tossed his way to the NFL’s seventh-best passer rating that year, and the third-best in Vikings history. The abundance of fortune lasted through the Divisional Round game versus the New Orleans Saints as the Vikings were victorious in flabbergasting fashion.
The fun lasted a week as the team was deflated and defeated in the City of Brotherly Love during the NFC Championship against the Eagles.