Minnesota Vikings: Sam Bradford Has Been a Savior
By Nick Ziegler
The Minnesota Vikings are emerging as the best team in the NFC. Their success can at least partially be credited to the acquisition of Sam Bradford.
Just prior to the start of the season, the Minnesota Vikings suffered a huge blow when Teddy Bridgewater was injured in practice. The Vikings had some big expectations to live up to in 2016, and Bridgewater was poised for his breakout season.
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The knee injured suffered Bridgewater caused panic in Minnesota as it’s usually impossible to replace a starting quarterback just prior to the start of the season. However, the Vikings made a bold trade to acquire Sam Bradford.
Due to the Philadelphia Eagles drafting Carson Wentz and signing Chase Daniel, Bradford’s time was clearly limited in Philadelphia. After being named the starter, Bradford was traded to the Vikings for a first-round pick. While a first-round pick for Bradford seemed like a steep price, the Vikings had no choice.
Partially due to the age of Adrian Peterson, the Vikings knew their championship window might be now. With that in mind, the trade for Bradford made a lot of sense. In Week 1, Bradford didn’t start for the Vikings, relying on veteran quarterback Shaun Hill to get the win. Despite Hill and the Vikings beating the Tennessee Titans, it was Bradford who took over as the starter for Week 2. In his first start of the season against the Green Bay Packers, Bradford was exceptional.
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It had to be a huge challenge for him to learn a new offensive system in just a few weeks, but Bradford looked very comfortable. In the win, Bradford totaled two touchdown passes and 286 passing yards. The Vikings also lost Peterson to the knee injury in that game, but the Vikings’ offense was fine being led by Bradford. The quick chemistry between Bradford and wide receiver Stefon Diggs was impressive, torching the Packers’ defense.
In Week 3, the Vikings earned themselves a statement win. Without Peterson, the Vikings traveled to Carolina and beat Cam Newton and Panthers. Against a good Panthers defense, Bradford didn’t light it up, but he also didn’t make any mistakes. The three interceptions thrown by Newton turned out to be the difference in the game.
Now, the Vikings will be hosting the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. Bradford is familiar with the Giants from his time in Philadelphia, and he will be looking for the fourth win of the season for Vikings.
It hasn’t been long since Bridgewater went down and all hope was lost in Minnesota. However, Bradford has proven that he can lead this team to their goal of a Super Bowl appearance this season. The win against the Panthers really proved that Bradford and the Vikings are legit still this season.
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Furthermore, with a great defense and Bradford, the Vikings could very well be the team to beat in the NFC this season. Another challenging test will be on Monday night against the Giants. However, the Vikings appear to a Super Bowl contender still thanks to Bradford.