Mothman wrote:
He's averaged less than 200 a game over the last 3 games but he hasn't thrown for less than 200 a game over those same 3 games. He threw for 236 yards and 2 TDs against the Bengals and sat down for Bridgewater after helping the Vikes establish a commanding lead so he didn't even play the entire game.
He has 4 TDs, 0 turnovers, a 3-0 record and two games with a rating over 100 in his last 3 games. Those aren't electrifying stats but they're solid and he went 20-23 against Cincy. I don't know what everybody else is looking for but I thought he was very impressive in that game.
They used a pretty balanced attack yesterday. Keenum had 29 attempts and there were about 33 called runs. His yardage totals don't include the PI calls but if memory serves, there were a couple that yielded big gains so even though Keenum didn't connect with his receivers on those plays (which would be preferable), his willingness to throw deep and give them a shot still paid dividends.
Three years ago, any of us would have taken the level of play Keenum has displayed over the past three games -- a 109 passer rating, 4 TDs, 0 turnovers, 3-0 record.
I get it that we all would love the 1998 offense to be reincarnated in this team, but that's not how we're built. I was nervous during the game yesterday, but not because of anything Case Keenum did or didn't do. I was nervous because I felt our playcalling got conservative way too early. I couldn't say for sure, but I'd say that's as much Mike Zimmer as it is Pat Shurmur, but it's surely not Case Keenum's doing.
Case has done a great job of turning himself from gunslinger to a guy who plays within a system and doesn't kill the team with turnovers. With our defense, that kind of QB play can allow us to make a deep run, even if we don't put up video game numbers.