Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins went down with an ankle injury—but it may be much worse than that.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins suffered a non-contact injury in the fourth quarter against the Green Bay Packers. Cousins limped to the sideline without putting any pressure on his leg and was eventually carted off the field and into the locker room. Immediately, the Vikings ruled him out for the rest of the game with what is initially being called an ankle injury.
UPDATE: Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell says they are fearing an Achilles injury with Cousins.
UPDATE 2: Ian Rapoport is also calling it an Achilles injury.
However, per former NFL team doctor David J. Chao, the injury may be much, much worse than an ankle injury. Based on video of the injury, Chao believes Cousins may have torn his Achilles:
It’s worth noting it is not entirely uncommon for Achilles injuries to be initially reported as ankle injuries by the team, and the fact that the Vikings immediately ruled Cousins out is troubling news for Minnesota regardless.
With Nick Mullens currently on injured reserve, rookie fifth-round pick Jaren Hall has stepped in for the Vikings.
Obviously, this news has a drastic impact on the NFC North. The Vikings appeared to be turning their season around after a big upset win over the 49ers last week, and they were comfortably handling the Packers on the road prior to the injury. They did hold on to win and move to 4-4, but if Cousins’ injury is indeed serious, it’s hard to see them continuing that upward trajectory, even though they do have quite a favorable schedule going forward.
Cousins was an essential part to what the Vikings were doing and entered Week 8 third in the NFL in passing yards and fourth in passer rating.
We’ll update this post with the latest news on Cousins as it comes in.
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