Aug 31, 2026 · 44 min
Bridgewater injury set off Vikings’ strangest season
A decade since Teddy Bridgewater's injury and a bonkers Vikings season
The 2016 Vikings season shows how one devastating injury cascaded into quarterback uncertainty, organizational turmoil, and a fractured team before Minnesota rebounded.
- 1Teddy Bridgewater’s injury forced Minnesota into an emergency quarterback plan just as Super Bowl expectations were rising.
- 2A 5–0 start unraveled amid offensive-line instability, injuries, coaching upheaval, locker-room disputes, and bizarre travel problems.
- 3Bridgewater’s emotional return helped connect the chaos of 2016 with the Vikings’ unexpected 2017 resurgence.
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Sirles recalls the Vikings’ plane sliding off the runway in Green Bay, stranding players on the tarmac as kickoff neared.
The brief
Former Vikings offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles recalls entering 2016 with Super Bowl expectations, then watching Teddy Bridgewater’s catastrophic knee injury reshape the team overnight.
Minnesota traded for Sam Bradford and opened 5–0, but the season’s momentum vanished after the bye as the offense, especially the offensive line, began to unravel.
The collapse brought Mike Zimmer’s eye injury, Norv Turner’s resignation, Adrian Peterson’s failed return, and a locker-room dispute over defensive assignments against Green Bay.
Sirles recounts the team plane sliding off the runway in Green Bay, leaving players stranded without food while a noon kickoff approached.
Bridgewater’s emotional return in 2017 became the season’s clearest counterpoint: a powerful reminder that the strangest year preceded Minnesota’s resurgence.