Could Mike Zimmer bench a quarterback coming off a four-touchdown game?
The Minnesota Vikings coach said he knows who will be starting under center versus the Los Angeles Rams in Week 11, but won't announce whether it will be Case Keenum or Teddy Bridgewater until Wednesday.
"I haven't sat down and talked to anybody yet, so I'm going to wait until Wednesday," Zimmer said Monday of his timeline to name a starter.
Keenum is coming off a four-touchdown day in the 38-30 win over the Washington Redskins, going 21-of-29 passing for 304 yards and threw two interceptions. Zimmer added that he spoke to Keenum about knowing when to throw the ball away and avoid the interceptions.
Keenum has been steady for the NFC North-leading Vikings this season after Sam Bradford suffered an eventual season-ending knee injury. The veteran journeyman is completing a career-high 64.9 percent of his passes for a 7.3 yards per attempt with 11 touchdowns and five interceptions. Keenum helped guide the 7-2 Vikings to five wins as a starter -- including four straight -- and another victory in relief of Bradford in Week 5.
With a dominant receiving duo in Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs surrounding Keenum, he's proven to be a solid distributor who can move the chains and connect on a bevy of deep shots, like we saw in Sunday's blitz in Washington.
Sticking with Keenum until he blows up seems like the safe choice for a team in prime playoff positioning with good surrounding talent and a stalwart defense.
Given Zimmer's reluctance to back the incumbent, however, casts doubt on the path the Vikings will take. (Why would the coach need to huddle with his team to keep the incumbent in the lineup?) Bridgewater was active for the first time in 672 days on Sunday. In theory, a healthy Bridgewater could provide a higher ceiling for a Vikings team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Has Bridgewater proven enough in practice that the Vikings' coaching staff is willing to put him on the field in the middle of a playoff race, facing an Aaron Donald-led defense right off the bat? Or has Keenum's play garnered him some rope moving forward?
We should get our answers on Wednesday.
