At 8-2, the Minnesota Vikings have asserted themselves as a legitimate Super Bowl contender in the NFC, and starting quarterback Case Keenum has exceeded all expectations after taking over for Sam Bradford.
When Bradford and star rookie running back Dalvin Cook were lost for the season, a lot of fans and pundits felt a playoff-run would be unlikely for Minnesota unless their defense completely took over. Instead, the offense has flourished with Keenum throwing to one of the best receiving duos in the NFL in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen, as well as the emergence of the running back tandem of Jerick McKinnon and Latavius Murray.
Despite their immense success, a quarterback controversy emerged in Minnesota thanks to the surprising return of Teddy Bridgewater from a serious knee injury. With Bridgewater running the show in 2015, the Vikings won the NFC North with a 11-5 record.
However, after another strong outing by Keenum in a signature 24-7 victory over the 7-2 Los Angeles Rams, sticking with Case appeared to be an easy choice for head coach Mike Zimmer this week.
After the game, Zimmer admitted it would be hard to pull Keenum from the number one spot on the depth chart, and on Tuesday, he confirmed that the Houston product will remain his starter, using a colorful phrase to explain his reasoning.
Zimmer: “The thing I like about Case is he’s got big balls.” Gotta love it.
— Mark Craig (@markcraignfl) November 21, 2017
The Vikings look to grow their lead in the NFC North to three games, effectively ending the division race as they face the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving.
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