Case Keenum has been a quarterback who has always been criticised due to his play.
Coaches, experts, and journalists who were covering the NFL believed he was never going to thrive at the next level. In fact, many believed his ceiling was going to be the one of an above-average backup or a borderline starter at best. But the Minnesota Vikings gave him a chance to thrive, and he is taking advantage of it.
Granted, I’m sure nobody in Minnesota wanted Keenum to be their starter before the season. But Teddy Bridgewater wasn’t ready to return, and Sam Bradford once again struggled with injuries. It was either Keenum or bust for the Vikings, but the 29-year-old is doing everything in his power to cement his place as a viable starter at the NFL level. He has carried the Vikings towards the postseason and came up big in the AFC Divisional Round against the New Orleans Saints.
His throw to Stefon Diggs with less than 10 seconds left in the game was excellent, and even though the Saints deserve blame for the huge defensive mistake, the throw had to be made. And Keenum proved his worth when nobody believed in him. Especially considering he made some questionable decisions during that same fourth quarter.
But not when the game was on the line. No. Keenum realized this was the ONE chance to prove everyone wrong. And that’s exactly what he did. As if having a very good regular season wasn’t enough, now Keenum had to do it in the playoffs. And while it’s only one game, this must have been one of his best performances. Although if you followed the Vikings during the regular season, this shouldn’t have been much of a surprise.
Against all odds, Keenum looked like a serviceable player during the first 16 weeks of the season. He finished the regular season completing 67.6 of his passes, 3,547 yards, 22 TD, six INT, and a 98.3 passer rating, according to NFL.com. Those numbers scream “capable NFL starter”, and he finally lived up to that label. It was tough in the beginning since he bounced between the Houston Texans and the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams in the first four years of his career.
However, it seems that won’t happen again. If the 2017 regular season has taught us anything, is that Keenum is capable of being a starter at the NFL level. And while we don’t know if he will be able to carry the Vikings to the Super Bowl, one thing is certain. No one should sleep on him because he has proven his worth when it mattered the most.