It took a while for the medical cart to get from the southeast entrance at Lambeau Field to the Minnesota Vikings’ blue tent on the northeast side of the stadium. The cart driver has to back it through the tunnel to the tent on roughly the 30-yard line. Those minutes felt like hours as Kirk Cousins sat under cover. The moment lasted ages.
Cousins often says he feels like he has the franchise in his hands as he grips the football. If he injured his Achilles in the Vikings’ 24-10 win over the Green Bay Packers, somebody else will have Minnesota’s fate at their fingertips.
The Vikings had mixed feelings in the locker room after the game. On the one hand, they beat the Packers at Lambeau, moving to 2-0 in the NFC North and .500 on the season. On the other, they lost Cousins, who’s coming off stellar performances against the San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay. A player who never gets hurt may have torn his Achilles. Nobody knows what’s next.
“Yeah, I mean, obviously, Kirk’s a huge part of our team, [a] huge part of our offense,” said T.J. Hockenson, who had six catches for 88 yards and a touchdown. “Just praying for him. We’ll see. We don’t know what’s gonna happen, but we’re excited to be 2-0 in the division. It’s huge for us, huge for this team.
“We just gotta keep rolling.”
Cousins injured his Achilles at a crucial point in the game. The Vikings had called their first timeout facing third-and-19 with 10:30 left in the game. Preston Smith had just sacked Cousins on second-and-10 with the Vikings leading 24-10. Cousins had already taken a delay-of-game penalty in the first half and called timeout to try and convert a crucial third down. However, Kenny Clark broke through Minnesota’s offensive line and sacked Cousins.
But before Clark broke through, Cousins appeared to injure his Achilles on a non-contact play. Cousins hobbled off to the sideline while Greg Joseph and the kicking unit entered the field to attempt a 44-yard field goal. Karl Brooks blocks the kick, and Jonathan Owens returns it for 23 yards. Simultaneously, Minnesota’s franchise quarterback is in the medical tent, and the Packers had an opportunity to capitalize on the momentum and swing the game.
On the next play, Jordan Love hits Christian Watson for a first down. He misses Romeo Doubs on a hurry-up play, but then Love scrambles for three yards and completes an off-balance throw to Dontayvion Wicks for first down. Jayden Reed reels in a first-down catch on the next play. Aaron Jones runs for five yards, and Wicks drops a pass.
Meanwhile, Cousins is in the medical tent, and the cart driver is backing up across the sideline. That’s the weirdness of football. Minnesota’s medical staff is tending to its franchise quarterback behind the team as they focus on the play on the field. Cousins is loaded onto the cart, Brian O’Neill taps him on the shoulder, and the driver takes him away while Mekhi Blackmon breaks up Love’s third-and-five pass. Camryn Bynum forces an incompletion on fourth-and-five. Vikings ball.
Rookie Jaren Hall lines up under center. Next man up. The Vikings hold on to win.
“Jaren obviously stepped up,” said Hockenson. “We needed him in the fourth quarter, and [he] stepped up. He was clear in the huddle, just a young guy, but like I said, we don’t know what’s going on.”
The Vikings have five winnable games coming up, but nobody knows what’s next. Minnesota didn’t know the extent of Cousins’ injury after the game. However, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Cousins tore his Achilles and that he’ll have an MRI to confirm. Hall could be under center against the Atlanta Falcons next week. Or Nick Mullens could be if he’s healthy. Or it could be a veteran quarterback if Minnesota can trade for or sign one before they head to Georgia.
That’s life in the NFL. Jefferson will miss at least another week. Cousins could be out for the season. Nobody knows who will start the Falcons game. Minnesota can’t tank after beating the Niners on Monday night and the Packers at Lambeau. They have five winnable games and their bye week coming up. They’re 4-4 and must avoid staying .500 if they’re going to fully capitalize on beating the San Francisco and Green Bay. That means winning without their franchise quarterback under center.
“Through the first three weeks of the season, we’ve kind of allowed that adversity to be constant learning and growth for our team,” said Kevin O’Connell, expressing his faith in his team regardless of what happens next. “The team in that locker room right now is a really confident team, and they know we’re getting better and better.
“And we’re gonna continue to push forward on the hunt for just playing better and better and being our best when it’s required. I love this team, and I love what they’re all about right now, and that’s a credit to those guys.”
The Vikings sit on the edge of the void. How they embrace adversity and the unknown will determine their fate.
