Teddy Bridgewater suffers dislocated knee, torn ACL at Vikings practice

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (KMSP) - The Minnesota Vikings cut practice short on Tuesday after quarterback Teddy Bridgewater dislocated his knee.

Bridgewater went down in practice shortly before 2 p.m. with what appeared to be a non-contact injury. An MRI determined Bridgewater suffered a complete tear to his ACL and other structural damage to his knee, although there appears to be no nerve or arterial damage, Vikings head athletic trainer Eric Sugarman said in a statement.

Bridgewater will undergo surgery in the next few days. Sugarman said the recovery time will be significant, but the team expects its starting quarterback to make a full recovery.

When asked at a press conference whether Bridgewater will be able to play this season, head coach Mike Zimmer replied, “It doesn’t look good right now.”

Zimmer said he decided to cancel practice after seeing the impact of Bridgewater’s injury on the players.

“Today is a disappointing day,” Zimmer said. “The number one thing is Teddy is such a great kid. Everybody loves him. They were disappointed and I didn’t think we’d get much out of practice today."

The team will practice as scheduled on Wednesday.

“We’re not going to stick our heads in the sand,” Zimmer said. “We’re not going to go tuck our legs. We’re not looking for excuses. We’re going to go out and fight like we always do.”

The team's next preseason game is Thursday against the St. Louis Rams. 

“Everybody can count us out, but I think that would be the wrong thing to do," Zimmer said. 

Vikings statement from head athletic trainer Eric Sugarman

"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."