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Early on in the NFL Network Top 100 for this year, the man that will quarterback the Minnesota Vikings in 2018 made the list when Kirk Cousins checked in at #94. Now, the man that quarterbacked them through their outstanding run in 2017 has made his way onto the list as well.
He led his team to the NFC title game and now makes his debut on the countdown!@Broncos new QB @casekeenum7 is #51!#NFLTop100 pic.twitter.com/uMIV9d9qHS
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) May 22, 2018
Case Keenum, who became the team’s starting quarterback in the wake of Sam Bradford’s injury and was a big reason why the purple made it to the NFC Championship Game, checks in at #51 on this year’s list, which is 43 spots above Cousins if you’re scoring at home.
Keenum started 16 of the Vikings’ 18 games in 2017 (and probably should have started 17 of 18, as it became clear after about two series in Chicago that Bradford had no business being out there that night). Largely an afterthought after he was signed. . .including by one person currently writing this post that wasn’t even sure if he’d beat out Taylor Heinicke for a roster spot. . .Keenum took the starting quarterback job and put together the best season of his NFL career by a wide margin.
Keenum completed 67.6% of his passes in 2017, throwing for 3,547 yards and 22 touchdowns. Though there was speculation that he would be coming back as the Vikings’ quarterback in 2018, when the Vikings chose to go in a different direction he still cashed in. He signed a two-year contract with the Denver Broncos to be their starter, and the Keenum era in Minnesota was over as quickly as it began.
Case Keenum gave Vikings’ fans one hell of a ride during 2017, and it’s good to see him on the list, even if he has moved on to the next stage of his career.