Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford returned to the starting lineup on Monday night after missing three games with a knee injury, but he was out of the game before the end of the first half when it was clear that he wasn’t well enough to handle the job.
On Tuesday, Vikings trainer Eric Sugarman provided an update on Bradford’s condition in a meeting with reporters. Sugarman said that Bradford had an MRI that showed no new injury and offered a different description of the quarterback’s injury than the bone bruise that’s been discussed for much of the last month.
“We’re not dealing with a ligament injury to Sam,” Sugarman said, via Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “We’re not dealing with a bone bruise from a direct hit ... wear and tear in knee joint.”
Sugarman also said that the team felt Bradford was well enough to protect himself when the game began -- “We would never put a player on the field we thought could not protect themselves” -- although that obviously changed as the first half unfolded. He also said that Bradford can “absolutely” make a full recovery, but didn’t say when and Monday night’s false start makes it hard to expect it is right around the corner.