Though Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford said his left knee feels better than it did on Sunday, when he was unable to play in the team's 26-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, it remains unclear whether he will be able to start on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Bradford said he plans test his knee throughout the week, after a noncontact injury he sustained in the team's season-opening win against the New Orleans Saints limited him in practice last week and kept him out of the Steelers game.
"I would like to think that (my chances of playing) are good, but I think a lot of it just depends on how my knee responds when we go out there and practice this week," Bradford said.
Coach Mike Zimmer said Monday that Bradford twisted his knee during the Saints game, and Bradford said he realized Tuesday morning the pain was more noticeable than he'd expected. He tore his left ACL in both the 2013 and 2014 seasons, though coach Mike Zimmer said on Sunday that Bradford's latest injury would not require surgery.
"I've been through a lot with this knee," Bradford said. "I've played through quite a few different bumps and bruises with it. I think every time that I've done that, you just know. I don't think there's a checkmark or a benchmark you've got to meet. You've got to be able to play quarterback. You've got to be able to do what the position requires you to do. If you're not able to do those things during practice, it's hard to be able to do them during a game."
When he worked out before the game on Sunday, Bradford said he hoped a light day of work on Saturday would allow him to move well enough to play. After playing catch and making a few throws off of dropbacks, though, he returned to the locker room, and the Vikings started Case Keenum against the Steelers. Keenum completed 20 of his 37 passes for 167 yards in the loss.
"I think there are things you can do, as far as rehab, to improve it and to make it feel better," Bradford said. "I'm not going to go into exactly how we're treating this or what we've done, but we've done a lot of work over the past week, just trying to make sure the swelling is out of there, trying to get that controlled and trying to get it to feel as good as it can."
