We are a day removed from Thursday night’s 18-11 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, and there’s still no real definitive reason why Teddy Bridgewater didn’t play.
Vikings coach Mike Zimmer called it “his decision” when he was asked about it by reporters, both during and after the game, but he didn’t explain why he made the decision.
But there may have been another reason after all.
https://twitter.com/GoesslingESPN/status/766755672775987200
ESPN’s Ben Goessling notes that Bridgewater probably would have played had it been a regular season game. But it wasn’t and that allowed the Vikings to get a longer look at backup quarterback Shaun Hill.
“It was great for Shaun to play,” Zimmer said during his post-game press conference. “We had to take a good look at him and make sure we got into the season with a backup we feel good about.”
The 36-year-old veteran backup told the Pioneer Press he didn’t find out he was going to start until pre-game warmups.
“I was a little bit (surprised), but you’re prepared for anything,” Hill told the newspaper. “That’s the thing about the life of the backup. You got to come in there when there’s no warning whenever you have to go in and play.”
Hill led the Vikings to their only offensive touchdown in the game and finished 10-of-17 for 127 yards without an interception. Zimmer said he felt Hill managed the game well.
