It was a costly victory for Minnesota this weekend as Vikings QB Kirk Cousins suffered a torn achilles tendon in his right foot in the team’s 24-10 win over Green Bay.
With just under 10 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter, Cousins’ leg buckled before taking a sack. The 35 year old needed to be helped off the field and was unable to put any weight on his right side.
The game was finished off at quarterback by rookie 5th round pick Jaren Hall out of BYU who went 3 for 4 in his pass attempts for 23 yards.
“There’s nothing really I can say about it. I just love Kirk to death. I love his family. I love him. I love everything about him. To see a guy like that go down is always tough,” said TE T.J. Hockenson after the game.
“Every single player in our locker room is thinking about our leader and our guy,” said head coach Kevin O’Connell. “I’m just so proud of him. Proud of how he’s played all season long. Whatever is the case, if we don’t have him for one snap or for the duration of our season, that will not change.”
While the team has not yet officially confirmed the injury as a season ender, NFL insiders believe the additional testing will confirm the initial diagnosis of a torn achilles tendon.
Following an 0-3 start to the season, Minnesota has since clawed their way back into the NFC playoff picture to sit at 4-4 through the season’s first 8 weeks. A feat made all the more impressive given the fact that they’ve also been winning without All-Pro WR Justin Jefferson who is dealing with an injury himself.
Now however, the club will have to make some important decisions heading into Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline. Cousins is playing in the last year of a voidable deal, and it’s unlikely that Minnesota will look to bring back the soon to be 36 year old signal caller for 2024.
That being said, Minnesota is currently square in the mix for a wildcard berth, and only 1 win behind the division leading Lions in the NFC North. With Jefferson scheduled to return in a few weeks time, Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will need to evaluate whether the team should be looking to bring in a veteran QB this week to help a playoff push, or to waive the white flag and become sellers at the deadline.
Minnesota travels to Atlanta to take on the Falcons in Week 9 in a showdown between two clubs fighting for the final playoff spot in the NFC.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.