Vikings: Bradford Suffered 'Wear & Tear' On Knee, No New Injury

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford did not suffer a new injury to his knee, the team announced Tuesday.

In an afternoon news conference, the team's head athletic trainer said the 29-year-old quarterback suffered "wear and tear" on his knee in Monday night's game against the Chicago Bears.

Bradford was replaced in Monday night's game by Case Keenum, who led the team to a 20-17 over Chicago.

It was Bradford's first start since a dominating performance in Week 1, where he led the Vikings to a 34-17 win over the New Orleans Saints. He had been listed as day-to-day with a knee injury, but missed three straight games with the knee issues.

Bradford clearly wasn't himself physically in the first half Monday night. He finished just 5-of-11 passing for 36 yards, missed open receivers and was sacked three times. He took a safety, and looked tentative throughout the opening 30 minutes. Bradford got up slowly after being hit and appeared to be favoring his left knee after several plays.

Vikings officials did not rule him out for future games this season.

Bradford's knee issues could make his future in Minnesota cloudy. He is not under contract for next season, and the Vikings are hoping Teddy Bridgewater can return from his knee injury to lead the Vikings' offense. Bridgewater could be activated from the physically unable to perform list as early as next week, then the Vikings would have up to three weeks to put him on the active roster, or keep him on the PUP list the rest of the season.