Vikings quarterback severed tendon by kicking door

Minnesota Vikings backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke faces a tough road to be fit for the start of the NFL season after severing a tendon in his left foot while kicking his front door.

Heinicke showed up to summer camp wearing a cast, and rolling around on a scooter, which prompted questions about how he sustained the injury.

The second-year undrafted quarterback explained how he hurt himself, and he admitted grave embarrassment at how it went down.

"I was locked out of my house after a late-night movie," Heinicke told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

"I came back and there's no one home, and I'm trying to nudge the door a little. It was one of those double doors. I thought it just needed a little nudge.

"Me and my buddy were getting it going a little, but when I put my foot to the door, my foot kind of slipped and it went through a window. It was just kind of a freak accident. I'm very embarrassed, but I'm just excited getting going with rehab and trying to get this going as soon as possible."

The "freak accident," as he put it, took place weeks ago, and he hopes to be ready for the September 11 regular-season opener against the Tennessee Titans.

Minnesota did not release any details about the injury, but ESPN reports he severed a tendon in his left foot, which could keep him out for up to three months.

Heinicke's stock was rising before the injury, and he was someone the Vikings believed could take the number-two spot behind starter Teddy Bridgewater.