The Minnesota Vikings will trot out Case Keenum under center for the second straight week.
Coach Mike Zimmer announced Friday that Sam Bradford will miss Sunday's tilt versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Bradford sat out last week with a knee injury, which didn't improve enough for the quarterback to return in Week 2. Bradford was limited in practice earlier in the week and wasn't seen at the start of Friday's session.
After lighting up the New Orleans Saints in Week 1 to the tune of 346 yards, three touchdowns and an 84.4 completion percentage, Bradford's knee now appears it will be a weekly concern moving forward. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero previously reported the knee injury is a bone bruise, which led to pain that kept him sidelined. Pelissero added Friday that Bradford is seeking a second opinion on his knee from Dr. James Andrews.
Keenum is a disappointing downgrade heading into Sunday's tilt versus the Bucs. Last week the backup completed 54.1 percent of his passes for just 167 yards. After a dive-bombing opening week, the Vikings' offense could revert to the dink-and-dunk operation with Keenum at the steering wheel. The backup wasn't afraid to let the deep ball fly in previous years, so there is a modicum of hope Minnesota won't completely curtail the offense.
On the plus side for Minnesota fans, Keenum has beaten Tampa each of the last two seasons as a member of the Rams. (Optimism!)
The Vikings should rely heavily on rookie running back Dalvin Cook to shoulder the load. The dynamic back is averaging 5.6 yards per carry through two games. Minnesota needs Cook to deliver several home-run totes against a Tampa D that will likely stack the box and dare Keenum to make them pay deep.
