Vikings coach Mike Zimmer admitted that it would be difficult to remove Keenum from the starting role, Chip Scoggins of The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "It's going to be hard to yank him out of there right now," Zimmer acknowledged after Sunday's 24-7 win over the Rams.
As much as the team wants to see Teddy Bridgewater in a game, there's no way the Vikings can justify benching Keenum when he hasn't turned in a poor outing since Week 4. The team's status as a clear favorite in the NFC North and potential top-two seed means talent evaluation for the future isn't a priority. Bridgewater may still be viewed as the likely quarterback for 2017 and beyond, but he won't get a shot in a game situation unless Keenum starts to struggle or the Vikings have a meaningless Week 17 contest. Keenum figures to start in Detroit on Thanksgiving, kicking off a stretch of three straight road games against fellow NFC contenders. Thursday's game will be followed by trips to Atlanta in Week 13 and Carolina in Week 14.