Sam Bradford: Minnesota Vikings quarterback will return to practice this week

Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer said Monday quarterback Sam Bradford will practice this week as the team prepares to host a divisional round game on Jan. 14.

Bradford was placed on injured reserve Nov. 8, two months after suffering a non-contact injury in his left knee in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints. He underwent surgery on Nov. 7, but it was not related to the two procedures Bradford had to repair a torn ACL in the knee in 2013 and 2014.

Bradford returned Oct. 9 from a three-game absence with an ailing left knee, but he aggravated the injury late in the first half of a 20-17 victory over the Chicago Bears and Case Keenum has been the starter ever since.

Bradford was eligible to resume practicing after spending six weeks on injured reserve and the Vikings opted to bring him back during their bye week. Minnesota will practice Tuesday and Wednesday before players get the next four days off.

"I just want to see where he's at how, he's moving, things like that," Zimmer told reporters Monday at the team's practice facility in Eden Prairie, Minn. "I hear he's throwing the ball good, but it's all I do is here. We'll just go about it and see how it goes."

When Bradford resumes practicing, the Vikings have a three-week window to decide if they want to add him to the 53-man roster. It will be determined on how Bradford looks and appears in practice, though Zimmer said it is too early to speculate on a decision.

"That's way too early to say," Zimmer said. "We'll just see how it goes and where it's at. I'm not committed to saying he's going to play, so we'll just see how things go. I mean, we win a game and somebody gets hurt, you never know what can happen."

Keenum was 11-3 as a starter for the Vikings (13-3), who beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday in their regular-season finale.