Last season, the Minnesota Vikings made the next step with former first-round pick Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback. The young passer guiding a Vikings team that was still led by the ground game and running back Adrian Peterson to the playoffs in Bridgewater’s second NFL season, leading many to peg the Vikings as a favorite in the NFC North this season. Bridgewater’s progression from Year 1 to Year 2 making many experts high on the Vikings as a potential Super Bowl dark horse in 2016.
That was before Tuesday afternoon when the Vikings season took an 180-degree turn for the worst as things look grim in Minnesota due to a horrific injury situation. Bridgewater going down with a non-contact injury that cancelled Vikings practice early as the reports out of the team’s facility indicate that the quarterback suffered a serious injury. An injury that would clearly change the course of the Vikings season and the team’s plans of competing for a title in the NFC North with their hated rivals in the Green Bay Packers.
The early reports indicate that Bridgewater could have a torn ACL, or possibly worse as everything coming out of the Vikings facility is bad news for those in Minnesota right now. Players reportedly being visibly distraught as it appears that Bridgewater could have an injury that is potentially season ending for a player who was entering his third season as one of the best young quarterbacks in the league.
Bad news – @ProFootballDoc indicating that Bridgewater is being taken to trauma center. Certainly indicates more than "just" ACL.
— Will Carroll (@injuryexpert) August 30, 2016
Vikings players were distraught coming off the field. Bridgewater is incredibly popular in the locker room. Team is shaken
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) August 30, 2016
Bad scene. Bridgewater down in pocket grabbing left knee. Players freaked out, swearing and praying. Immobilized. Practice halted #Vikings
— Brian Murphy (@murphmedia_) August 30, 2016
Regardless of how much time Bridgewater will be sidelined for, this injury is going to take a sledgehammer to the Vikings locker room that will be hard to recover from. The reports of players being distraught and visibly shaken giving a glimpse onto how this injury will impact their confidence going forward as they prepare for a Week 1 tilt with the Tennessee Titans. With hopes of competing for a Super Bowl this season, it is going to be hard for the Vikings players to bounce back without their leader in Bridgewater. A factor that could sink the Vikings season before it even starts thanks to an unfortunate practice injury.
Beyond how the injury will impact the Vikings locker room is the question of how the team will replace Bridgewater. Currently, Shaun Hill is the backup and next in line to take over the job as a career backup with little success in his spot starts. Something that will lead to the speculation of the Vikings potentially going after a trade to bring in a bigger name to keep their playoff hopes afloat. A very real possibility for a Vikings team that has everything place to make a run this season if they can find a Bridgewater replacement.
Names like Mark Sanchez, Colin Kaepernick, and even Geno Smith come to mind as high profile options for the Vikings that could be brought in via trade in the coming days if the Minnesota front office feels the need to save the season by upgrading over Shaun Hill. A trade likely being the best option for the Vikings if they want to remain a serious threat in the NFC without Bridgewater.
Right now the biggest worry for the Vikings will be the future of Bridgewater and pinpointing his injury timeline. Contending in 2016 is clearly a focus, but making sure Bridgewater can return to contend down the road will be the most important focus for the Vikings. Or at least it should be as Bridgewater is just entering his third season and if the Vikings continue to keep together their roster they should be a contender in 2017.
Right now, the pressure will be on Vikings general manager Rick Spielman to come up with a Plan B for 2016 while also balancing the future. After watching their Super Bowl hopes go down on the practice field just two weeks away from Week 1, the Vikings season is now on the ropes in a major way. How the Vikings front office and coaching staff reacts to one of the worst preseason injuries in recent memory will determine if Minnesota can contend with the Packers or if their season will crumble with Bridgewater on the sidelines.
