The NFL Week 8 game has been quite exciting, with the Minnesota Vikings dominating the Green Bay Packers and winning by a difference of 14 touchdowns.
However, despite securing an easy victory, the Vikings had to pay the price in the form of Kirk Cousins, who was seen hopping off the field after what seemed like a brutal tackle.
So, what happened to Kirk Cousins? The Vikings quarterback reportedly suffered a knee injury when he was tackled by Packers DT Kenny Clarke. According to the coach, Kevin O’Connell, they fear it is a torn Achilles, which would end Cousins’ season if it was injured to a greater extent.
What Happened to Kirk Cousins?
Kirk Cousins has been in incredible form in all the eight games he played in this season, and arguably, it has been one of his best seasons in the NFL, but that may change with the recent injury.
With his contract expiring in March 2024, Cousins is playing his final season for the Vikings before he makes his next decision, but during his game against the Packers, things took a weird turn.
During the final ten minutes of the fourth quarter, Cousins was attempting to pass a touchdown along the 22-yard line of the Packers, but while avoiding two players who obstructed his path, he slipped his right leg.
While that didn’t really affect him much, the Vikings’ Defensive tackle Kenny Clarke came in at the right time and tackled him hard, leading to a knee injury, which the coach further confirmed may be a torn Achilles.
Following the match, which resulted in the victory of the Minnesota Vikings, the head coach, Kevin O’Connell told reporters about Cousins’ injury in detail. In his words,
“We are fearing an Achilles injury. The severity of that I do not know at this point, but I know that is what our fear is at the moment, and we will confirm that as soon as possible.”
He further reminisced how valuable of a player Kirk was for always stepping up in both big and small games. He added,
“Thinking of Kirk. Our locker room, every single player in our locker room, thinking about our leader, our guy right now. Just so proud of him. Proud of the way he’s played all season long.”
Following the deadly tackle by Kenny Clarke, Cousins was helped off the field and seen hopping on his left leg to the bench to get his injured leg checked.
He was immediately replaced by the rookie quarterback, Jaren Hall, who finished the game in Cousins’ absence. However, he won’t be replacing Cousins in the following matches.
Instead, Nick Mullens, the backup quarterback of the Vikings, who was off-field primarily due to a back injury, will take his place until the true extent of Cousins’ injury is known.
If it turns out that Cousins indeed suffered a torn Achilles, he may have to bid goodbye to this season because the Achilles tendon presents just above the heel, and if it is injured, it is impossible to walk or run normally.
Furthermore, if Cousins keeps playing with a torn Achilles, it will affect his career entirely, and seeing as how he is 35 years old, he should be taking extra care of his body to prolong his incredible career.
So, do you believe he will recover soon enough to return before Week 10? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
