Vikings vs Buccaneers Without Sam Bradford
Sunday’s game will be a testament to what kind of team the Vikings have. By now, everyone knows Sam Bradford isn’t going to be under center. He is seeing Dr. James Andrews for his knee, which doesn’t seem to be getting any better.
Case Keenum isn’t a guy that is going to win you games but he is exactly the type of guy that normally will not lose you one. So, everyone else will need to step up. Dalvin Cook needs to have his best game yet and so do the wide-outs. But the biggest keys will be the offensive line and the defense.
If the offensive line can hold up and play well, then Dalvin Cook will flourish, and Keenum will have some time to make sure he makes the completions he should make. Again, we can’t rely on Keenum to win us games. The Vikings need to be able to put him in good positions to succeed. That means 3rd/2nd downs and short yardage. That means a good run game that he can use for play-action.
A good offensive line will help keep the defense off the field and fresh. They will need that because the Tampa Bay offense has a lot of weapons.
The defense will be the other crucial factor. It will need to keep the TB offense from big plays and give the offense as many opportunities as possible. Without Sam Bradford, the offense isn’t going to put up 35 points.
The defensive line will likely bring the pressure like they have been. How will Trae Waynes play? That could be a huge factor to how well the defense plays. Quarterbacks are going to start keeping the ball away from Xavier Rhodes. If Trae Waynes continues to struggle, we are all going to know about it.
Sam Bradford Notes
We still haven’t gotten any updates on Bradford’s status, after it was announced yesterday that he will seek a second opinion on his left knee. But, that hasn’t stopped the Twittersphere from losing their shit. A lot of big Vikings’ voices are suspecting the end to his Vikings’ career.
Judd Zulgad expects that Bradford’s knee is the reason the Vikings haven’t signed him to an extension. This has never been reported and he doesn’t have any sources he lists so…… yeah…
I wondered for months why there was no talk of a Sam Bradford contract extension. I wonder no more. https://t.co/FNv0Rv5QTv
— Judd Zulgad (@1500ESPNJudd) September 22, 2017
BUT, Tom Pelissero says this:
No setback for #Vikings QB Sam Bradford. No doctors have suggested structural issues. Knee just didn’t improve much. More from @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/44DAzTBblx
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 22, 2017
So, we are just going to wait….
Will we see Tedd…. Could we possib…. It cou….. Nah….
Well, I will leave this here anyway. He is eligible after week 6..
Eric Strack
Minnesota Sports Fan @RealMNSportsFan
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