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Sam Bradford will not be starting for the Vikings as Minnesota faces the Pittsburgh Steelers today. Bradford has been ruled out last minute due to a knee injury that hampered him this week. Case Keenum gets the Week 2 start in his place.
This is certainly unfortunate news for Bradford. The much-maligned passer actually played a really good game in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints.
The problem is that Bradford will always be haunted by his significant injury history. He reportedly felt pain and discomfort in his knee leading up to this week’s game. MRI scans reportedly came back negative as far as ACL damage is concerned, but he’s clearly not ready to play.
There are several ways this news relates to the Philadelphia Eagles.
First, it’s a reminder why the Eagles had to move on from Bradford. Not that many were opposed to trading him last year, but still.
Second, the Eagles still own the Vikings’ 2018 fourth-round pick. Bradford’s absence could mean there’s a better chance of Philadelphia receiving a higher pick.
Third, the Vikings are a potential playoff team when Bradford is healthy and playing like he did on Monday night. If Keenum is going to be their starter for an extended period of time moving forward, that could hamper a potential threat to the Eagles’ post-season hopes for a wild card spot.
It remains to be seen if/when Bradford will be ready to return to the field this season.