Vikings folk hero out for 2024 season

2017. The Vikings earn a first-round bye in the final week of the regular season. A week later, the organization saw the Saints defeat the Panthers on their off day. Drew Brees and Sean Payton came to the Twin Cities eight years after the Vikings' heartbreaking loss in New Orleans' living room. In an unusual matchup, future Hall of Famer Brees and career replacement Case Keenum would face off.

Vikings folk hero out for 2024 season

Keenum was an unexpected hero for the 2017 Vikings, a team loaded with Pro Bowlers on both sides of the field. The entire Vikings organization was not expected to make a splash when Sam Bradford's infamous knee problems flared up again and rookie running back Dalvin Cook had to undergo season-ending surgery.

Nearly seven years later, Keenum was placed on the season-ending injured list by his hometown Houston Texans while battling a foot injury.

Houston GM Nick Caserio said of the veteran:

His leadership, his toughness, his intelligence. It's unfortunate that he can't play football this year. Hopefully he's on the team and in the building. He can be an asset to the team, to this room. I have a lot of respect and appreciation for Case for what he's done not just in the last year or so or year and after, but throughout his career.

You're talking about a guy who went undrafted and basically made it 12, 13 years or however long. So that's to his credit. It's an unfortunate, difficult situation. I'm sure there's a lot of emotions involved. I don't want to speak for him, but what he does going forward will ultimately be his decision. I think whatever he does, he's going to be really good at it.

Nick Caserio

The manager was asked about a possible retirement and a future as a coach. Keenum is 36 and in the final season of his two-year contract with the Texans, the team that signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2012 and gave him his first starting experience in 2013.

Looking back to 2017, Mike Zimmer, the Vikings' fourth-season head coach, had built an unbeatable defense. His unit featured three outstanding pass rushers: Everson Griffen, Brian Robison and Danielle Hunter; a dominant nose tackle in Linval Joseph; a shutdown cornerback in Xavier Rhodes; safety Harrison Smith at his best; and the linebacker duo of Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr.

The offense simply had to be reliable under the leadership of offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur; 21 points was usually enough. On that side of the ball, Keenum could throw to Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, an emerging elite wide receiver duo, and Kyle Rudolph moved down the middle of the field. Behind Cook, the Vikings deployed Jerick McKinnon and Latavius ​​Murray, who formed a surprisingly dynamic tandem.

Keenum had a disappointing preseason in 2017 and the first few games as Bradford's backup were uninspiring, leading the team to a 2-2 record. Things started to click for him and the entire group in the second half of the season and he finished the year with over 3,500 passing yards, 22 passing touchdowns and just seven interceptions, despite his tendency to take risks with the ball.

The 13-3 franchise entered the playoffs after a one-year absence. A dominant first half against the Saints was offset by a poor second half, and HOF quarterback Brees blew up the defense, outscoring the Vikings 24-6 and taking a one-point lead with seconds left.

What followed was total chaos. Keenum hit Diggs for a 19-yard gain and the Vikes called their final timeout, but there were only 18 seconds left on the clock. The quarterback threw incomplete on the first and second attempts, leaving ten seconds to get into field goal range.

The next play will never be forgotten in NFL history and every Vikings fan still knows exactly what he did and felt in that moment. To quote live commentator Joe Buck: “Keenum, Diggs, sideline, touchdown. Unbelievable. The Vikings win.” A botched tackle by safety Marcus Williams on Diggs allowed Diggs to run into the end zone. The game was over.

After the chaos on the field was cleared up, the Vikings had to try one attempt at a time. This rule was changed right after the game. In disbelief, Keenum trotted out and sang the Skol chant with the entire crowd, which truly felt like a “after years of journeyman duty, this is my new home” moment.

A disastrous championship game followed and the Vikings went ahead and signed Kirk Cousins, a tremendous talent at quarterback. The track records of both passers since 2018 are pretty clear in favor of Cousins, although this ultimately did not lead to much team success.

Keenum became a starter for the Broncos in 2018, then started eight games for Washington OC Kevin O'Connell in 2019 and served as a backup in Cleveland for two seasons. A stint in Buffalo in 2022 was followed by two years in Houston, where his NFL career began. He also played college football in Houston and still holds the all-time records for most passing yards and touchdowns.

In 11 NFL seasons and with seven NFL teams, Keenum started 66 of the 80 games he appeared in, throwing for 15,175 yards, 79 touchdowns and 51 interceptions – not bad for an undrafted backup player.

If there were a second Hall of Fame, Keenum would certainly have a good chance of being inducted. His finest hour came in 2017 as Minnesota's leader, and he will never be forgotten in the Twin Cities.

Editor's Note: This article was helped by information from Pro Football Reference.

Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and statistics. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their then quarterback Christian Ponder. He is a walking football encyclopedia, enjoys watching sitcoms and prefers classic rock to other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt