Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater Suffers Dislocated Knee & Torn ACL, Trainers May Have Saved His Leg & Career

Update:

Will Carroll has confirmed that Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater suffered a tibiofemoral dislocation and a ruptured ACL during Tuesday’s practice.

A source tells Carroll: “Trainers may have saved his leg and career by quick action.”

Carroll explains that a tibiofemoral dislocation is basically the femur (upper leg) moving off of the tibia (shin, lower leg).

Former NFL athletic trainer Mike Ryan explained to Pro Football Talk that Bridgewater’s knee dislocation likely occurred after the ACL tear.

“Mechanically speaking, the knee joint is formed by the long thigh bone (femur) resting on top of the main shin bone (tibia),” Ryan explained. “Because the knee joint is structurally unstable and very dependent on ligaments for stability, the rupturing of a main ligament(s) leaves the knee joint vulnerable to a dislocation. The Anterior Cruciate Ligament’s two main functions are to stabilize the shin bone directly under the thigh bone and, secondly, to minimize internal rotation of that shin bone. Therefore, when the ACL is torn, the knee ‘buckles’ inward and quickly becomes grossly unstable. As in the case of Teddy’s injury, the stress of a collapsing body over a now-unstable knee joint is enough to dislocate the knee joint.”

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The Vikings announced that QB Teddy Bridgewater suffered a “complete” tear of his ACL and also experienced other structural damage in his knee.

There appears to be no nerve or arterial damage, while and the Vikings expect him to make a full recovery. However, his recovery will take a significant amount of time and it appears that this will likely end his season.

Bridgewater will undergo surgery at some point within the next few days.

The Vikings issued the following statement regarding Bridgewater’s injury:

Teddy Bridgewater suffered a non-contact injury today at practice. The injury was quickly identified as a dislocated knee. The injury was stabilized, and he was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment and evaluation. After undergoing an MRI, it was determined that Teddy suffered a complete tear to his ACL and other structural damage. Fortunately, there appears to be no nerve or arterial damage. Surgical repair will be scheduled within the next few days. Although the recovery time will be significant, we expect Teddy to make a full recovery. I would like to thank all of the medical professionals and our athletic training staff for all of their help today. Teddy has already displayed the attitude needed to overcome this injury and attack his rehab.

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According to Ian Rapoport, Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater appears to be a dislocated knee.

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Vikings HC Mike Zimmer announced Tuesdays that QB Teddy Bridgewater suffered a “significant” knee injury during today’s practice. Zimmer did, however, admit that it could be season-ending for Bridewater.

“I doesn’t look good right now,” Zimmer said of the injury.

“They sedated him,” Zimmer added.  “I love this kid. Our fans love this kid.”

Zimmer made it clear that they will move forward as a team, despite the terrible news.

“We’re not going to stick our heads in the sand,” Zimmer said. “We’re not looking for excuses. We have some great football players on this team, figure out how to win football games. . . . This is about the team. This isn’t about a one-man deal. This is about the team. We have a good team. We have a good defensive team. Our defensive line is much better. We have good receivers. We have maybe the best running back in the NFL.”

Ian Rapoport reports that Bridgewater’s knee injury was “gruesome,” and that his teammates were “disturbed and horrified,” with some even throwing up.

According to Rapoport, the Vikings are likely to bring back Brad Sorensen, who was recently cut. A free agent option, per Rapoport could be T.J. Yates.

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Ben Goessling of ESPN reports that Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater went down with a serious non-contact injury during Tuesday’s practice.

• According to Goessling, trainers immediately rushed to Bridgewater’s side, while players dropped to one knee in prayer.
• Brian Murphy reports that Bridgewater was grabbing his left knee.

The Vikings canceled the rest of practice and removed the media from the practice field.

Minnesota has Shaun Hill in place as their backup quarterback and undrafted rookie Joel Stave behind him, so it would not be surprising to see them bring in quarterbacks for workouts in the coming days if Bridgewater’s injury is in fact as bad as it appears.

Bridgewater, 23, is a former first-round pick of the Vikings back in 2014. He’s currently in the third year of his four-year, $6,849,502 rookie contract and stands to make a base salary of $1,042,682 for the 2016 season.

In 2015, Bridgewater appeared in all 16 games for the Vikings and threw for 3,231 yards while completing 65.3 percent of his passes to go along with 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

We’ll have more regarding Bridgewater’s injury as the news is available.