PITTSBURGH -- Mike Zimmer wouldn’t indicate how long Sam Bradford’s knee injury will keep him out.
Maybe it will be a week. Maybe it will be six weeks. The Minnesota Vikings likely know more than they’re choosing to disclose, but it’s difficult to place a timetable on how the human body heals. The franchise is now at the mercy of the swelling in Bradford’s left knee and, subsequently, how quickly it will go down.
In the meantime, while Bradford sits, Minnesota is putting its trust in Case Keenum to lead the offense. Whether the Vikings will be able to win games with him remains to be seen.
The experiment didn’t fare well in a 26-9 loss to the Steelers. The veteran backup struggled to play from behind after Pittsburgh jumped to a 14-0 lead. Throw in myriad penalties, and Keenum had little shot at success.
Keenum was 20-of-37 passing (54.1 percent) for 167 yards. That completion percentage is worse than Bradford has had in any of his 16 games with the Vikings.
All game, Keenum was harassed by the Steelers' defense, which historically isn’t something he has been able to cope with. Last season, his passer rating plummeted to 37.4 percent when he was under pressure, according to Pro Football Focus.
Credit Pittsburgh’s defense, which was able to establish constant pressure without relying on its reinforcements in the secondary.
The Steelers blitzed Keenum on only six of his 39 dropbacks. The quarterback was 18-of-32 against a standard pass rush, which was the worst completion percentage on such attempts by a Vikings quarterback since Teddy Bridgewater hit on 46.7 percent in Week 3 of 2015, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
“He was under duress,” Zimmer said. “I can’t see who is open and not open. I know he battled.”
A week after having their praises sung for how they protected Bradford against the Saints, the Vikings' offensive line allowed two sacks for a 21-yard loss. Keenum was hit seven times and didn’t often have time to sit back in the pocket and launch passes to his receivers downfield. The O-line faced a much different test against the Steelers' 3-4 defense, which was able to mix up its pressures and attack Keenum from all sides.
The circumstances were bleak in Keenum’s 25th career start, but the veteran poured on his support for those blocking in front of him.
“The line fought,” Keenum said. “I trust every one of those guys in that locker room. I trust everyone on the offensive side of the ball.
“My feet weren’t as good in the pocket as they should have been. I think some of the sacks were because of me being out of the pocket and not being where I need to be in the pocket.”
Teams face obvious changes when they go from QB1 to a backup. Everything from the cadence to the way the backup executes his reads and checks can be different from what a team is used to under the starter. Keenum will spend the next week perfecting his timing with center Pat Elflein so there’s no miscommunication. In turn, the line will prepare itself to better react to Keenum’s tendencies and the things that come with having a different presence under center.
“We have to play to his strengths some," Zimmer said. I mean, we knew there was a possibility. That’s what happens. There are no excuses.”
Come Monday morning, the Vikings' quarterback situation will be debated by talking heads throughout the country.
Yes, this team had a chance to go after Colin Kaepernick in free agency and instead chose to sign Keenum, who now stands at 9-16 as a starter.
Yes, Kaepernick is still available.
But with that option comes the reality and uncertainty of the Vikings' position. Given the vague confidence expressed by Zimmer regarding Bradford’s return, bringing in Kaepernick this late in the process is not realistic. It would take the former 49ers quarterback weeks to learn the system, and Bradford might be ready to take his job back before then.
Not to mention what happens if/when Bridgewater passes a physical to come off the physically unable to perform list after Week 6. But that’s a topic for another day.
For now, the team is going to ride with Keenum, who showed an ability to lead in the huddle despite his lack of production.
“Case is a guy that carries a lot of confidence for us,” running back Dalvin Cook said. “When Case is out there, it’s just like Sam is out there. All those guys breathe positive energy, and that’s what you want from a quarterback. We love it in the huddle.”
When asked whether he’d be comfortable if he had to play Keenum next week, Zimmer wouldn’t cop to the notion of needing to employ the talents of his backup another game.
“Sam’s going to be OK,” he said.
No, Keenum can’t replace Bradford or replicate what Bradford did in Week 1, but if the Vikings want a shot against the Buccaneers, they’ll have to do a better job keeping it together everywhere else on offense to give Keenum a better chance at success.
That includes not botching a fake punt attempt due to a half-hearted throw.
In small doses, Keenum has shown that he has what it takes to hang in there. How he handles an extended role for an undetermined amount of time remains to be seen.