Teddy Bridgewater Injury Update: Vikings QB Suffers Torn ACL, Dislocated Knee

The Minnesota Vikings announced Tuesday that quarterback Teddy Bridgewater suffered a complete tear of the ACL in his left knee, likely ending his season.

The Vikings confirmed Bridgewater didn't suffer any nerve or arterial damage to the knee and should make a full recovery, although they did not give a definitive timeline for his recovery. 

The news affirms what many fans already expected. Reports of a major injury to Bridgewater started trickling out on social media Tuesday evening. Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press shared a photo of an ambulance leaving team facilities in Eden Prairie, Minnesota:

Head coach Mike Zimmer said Bridgewater's absence won't weaken his team's resolve, per the Star Tribune's Matt Vensel:

"

You know today is a disappointing day. We’re not going to stick our heads in the sand. We’re not going to tuck our tail between our legs. We’re not looking for excuses. We’re going to go out and fight like we always do. We got some great football players on this team. We’ll figure ways to win football games if he’s not here and that’s what we’re going to do.

"

Bridgewater's teammates, Kyle Rudolph, Cordarrelle Patterson and Blair Walsh, tweeted their support for the quarterback:

The injury is a debilitating blow to the Vikings, though. Shaun Hill is second on the team's quarterback depth chart, and ESPN.com's Adam Caplan noted the free-agent market isn't exactly flush with talented signal-callers:

Without Bridgewater under center, it's hard to see how Minnesota can make the playoffs for the second straight year. The Vikings earned a wild-card berth in 2012 with Christian Ponder at quarterback, but it took a herculean performance from Adrian Peterson to get there.

A combination of a strong defense and an in-his-prime Peterson might be enough to help the Vikings overcome Bridgewater's injury, but the former MVP is 31 years old with a lot of mileage on his legs. Although Peterson remains one of the league's best running backs, another 2,000-yard season is almost certainly out of the question.

The Vikings will likely act quickly to bolster their quarterback depth chart. Given their available options, however, this could wind up being a lost season for Minnesota.