PITTSBURGH -- Sam Bradford kept his head buried in his Microsoft Surface Pro as he sat next to Case Keenum and Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur on the bench.
Down by two touchdowns, Minnesota was trying to remedy its early offensive hiccups, but the plays the three were looking at weren’t for Bradford.
Bradford made the trip to Pittsburgh with his team but was ruled inactive ahead of kickoff on Sunday with an injury to his left knee. One week after leading all quarterbacks in completion percentage (84.4), yards per attempt (10.8) and Total QBR (91.4), Bradford was a spectator as the Vikings' offense unraveled in a 26-9 loss at Heinz Field.
This is the fifth straight season Bradford has missed at least one game, according to ESPN Stats & Info. Sources told ESPN that the MRI Bradford had Tuesday did not reveal any specific damage, though the scan does not always offer a clear picture for someone who has undergone multiple surgeries to repair a torn ACL, as Bradford did in 2013 and 2014.
The severity of Bradford’s knee injury and how long it will keep him sidelined is unknown. The good news? He won't need surgery.
"Maybe the next week, maybe six weeks from now," Zimmer said regarding when Bradford could return. "He's (Bradford) is going to be OK. It's non-surgical so he is going to be fine."
What wasn't fine was how much the Vikings offense struggled in Bradford's absence.
Case Keenum filled in for Bradford as the starter and was on the receiving end of some big-time pressure. Led by Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh’s pass rush tormented the quarterback, forcing him to underthrow a number of passes. Keenum completed 54 percent of his passes for 167 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions.
"I was disappointed," Keenum said. "I love to win. Anytime we don't, I take it hard. I want to fight for those guys in the locker room. I feel like I can play better. I feel like we showed some good things. Obviously, didn't get off to a great start. Kind of shot ourselves in the foot a few times. When things aren't clicking, that's unfortunate."
The Bradford-led offense that averaged 7.5 yards per play against the Saints topped out at just 4 yards per play Sunday.
Promising drives were rendered futile by Minnesota’s inability to push the ball downfield after stringing together positive gains. The Vikings finished 5-of-15 on third down one week after leading the NFL with nine third-down conversions.
One mismatch the Vikings were able to exploit was tight end Kyle Rudolph against the Steelers' safeties. Rudolph became Keenum’s saving grace, catching four passes for 45 yards.
The offensive line that was praised for its stout coverage of Bradford last week had issues in pass protection against the Steelers. Minnesota couldn’t find ways to establish a consistent ground game against Pittsburgh, either. A week after Dalvin Cook put up 127 yards rushing, the Vikings mustered 91 yards total in the run game.
While the offense struggled, Minnesota’s defense didn’t help itself out, either. Offsides and pass interference calls led the Steelers to set up their first three scoring drives. In total, the Vikings were flagged 11 times for 131 yards.
"That's how you lose games in this league," wide receiver Adam Thielen said. "We talked about it all offseason. When you have a drive going, you cannot take a penalty that puts you in a second-and-20 or third-and-20. It's hard to get out of those situations. It's tough and that certainly puts a lot of pressure on the defense."