Kirk Cousins’ season is likely over.
The Minnesota Vikings quarterback was carted off the field in the Vikings’ 24-10 win over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday afternoon. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said after the game that they are “fearing an Achilles injury,” which an MRI is expected to confirm soon. That would end Cousins’ season.
Cousins started scrambling in the pocket early in the fourth quarter at Lambeau Field when he suddenly pulled up and fell to the ground. Cousins was tackled by defensive tackle Kenny Clark, which forced a fourth down. Once Cousins popped up, he started hopping to the sideline without putting any weight on his right leg.
Cousins made it to the bench, but was then carted off the field with his right shoe off. He was ruled out of the game, and was replaced by rookie Jaren Hall.
Cousins went 23-of-31 for 274 yards with two touchdowns before he went down, and had led the Vikings to the 24-10 lead. Cam Akers ran in a 6-yard touchdown to put the Vikings on the board in the first quarter, and then Cousins found T.J. Hockenson and Jordan Addison for touchdowns in the third quarter. K.J. Osborn had 99 receiving yards on eight catches, and Hockenson had 88 yards on six grabs.
Packers quarterback Jordan Love went 24-of-41 for 229 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the loss, which dropped Green Bay to 2-5. His TD came on a 1-yard toss to Romeo Doubs. Love was also the Packers’ leading rusher with 34 yards on four carries.
Assuming the injury is confirmed and his season is over, Cousins will have finished the year with 2,057 yards and 16 touchdowns with five interceptions. The 35-year-old is in his sixth season with the Vikings, and has never missed an NFL game due to injury, though he missed one in 2021 due to a positive COVID-19 test.
With Cousins now down, Hall will likely take his place in the immediate future. Hall, who the Vikings took in the fifth round of the draft earlier this year out of BYU, went 3-of-4 for 23 yards in the win Sunday.
Several starting QBs injured in early Sunday wave
The early wave of games Sunday was rough for quarterbacks across the league. Cousins was one of five starting QBs to go down with a serious injury on Sunday afternoon.
Atlanta Falcons starter Desmond Ridder left their 28-23 loss to the Tennessee Titans early to be evaluated for a concussion. He was replaced by Taylor Heinicke, who finished that game in Nashville.
Matthew Stafford was knocked out of the Los Angeles Rams’ 43-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys with a thumb injury after he appeared to get it stuck in a Cowboys defender’s helmet after making a throw. He was replaced by Brett Rypien.
New York Giants backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor was taken to a hospital in a 13-10 overtime loss to the New York Jets after an awkward tackle resulted in a rib injury. He was starting in place of Daniel Jones, who is still out with a neck injury. That left the Giants with third-string quarterback Tommy DeVito. The Giants threw for a combined 7 passing yards. The Jets forced overtime with a 35-yard field goal at MetLife Stadium.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett was ruled out of their 20-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars with a rib injury, too. Pickett took a shot after throwing an incomplete pass, and hit the turf hard on his right side. He was replaced by Mitchell Trubisky in the second half.
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