Minnesota Vikings Quarterback Sam Bradford Aggravates Knee Injury in Game Against the Bears

Rushing a player back from injury is never a good idea no matter how much he wants to return to the field. But the Minnesota Vikings had to be reminded of this the hard way.

After missing the past three games due to an injury to his surgically repaired left knee, starting quarterback Sam Bradford finally made his return when the Vikings took on the Chicago Bears on Monday night.

Unfortunately, Bradford was clearly struggling and he was sacked four times. He couldn't even make it through the first half of the game, and the Vikings eventually pulled him out of the game when they noticed that he has aggravated his knee injury.

"He aggravated his injury when he got tackled on one of the plays. I just thought it was best for him that we got him out of there. He didn't want to come out. He wanted to stay in there and fight but I didn't want to get him injured anymore," Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer said, via ESPN.

Bradford underwent a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exam on Tuesday and the results revealed that there was no new injury to his knee. According to Vikings head trainer Eric Sugarman, the veteran quarterback was just dealing with "wear and tear" in his left knee.

"We're not dealing with a ligament injury with Sam; we're not dealing with a bone bruise from a direct hit. Sam has wear and tear in his knee joint. And these injuries are very difficult to manage and treat," Sugarman said, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Backup quarterback Case Keenum will continue to start for the Vikings if Bradford misses any more games. The sixth-year pro completed 17 of 21 passes for 140 yards in Monday's game against the Bears, and he hit Kyle Rudolph for a touchdown in the third quarter.