Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook will miss the rest of his rookie campaign due to a torn ACL, Mike Zimmer announced Monday. Cook suffered the injury in a Week 4 loss against the Detroit Lions.
Dalvin Cook will miss the rest of his rookie campaign with a torn ACL
Cook suffered the unfortunate injury in a Week 4 loss against the Lions.
Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
What happened?
In the third quarter against Detroit, Cook took a handoff out the backfield and immediately fell to the turf and fumbled the ball. He tried to juke a defender to gain extra yards, but his knee twisted in an unusual way — causing him to tumble to the turf in pain.
Indeed, Cook suffered a non-contact injury and limped to the locker room after the play. However, sources told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero that Cook suffered a “nearly complete” ACL tear. Head coach Mike Zimmer told the Star Tribune’s Andrew Krammer the Vikings were concerned about Cook’s knee injury.
“He’s going to get an MRI in the morning and we’ll find out. If you lose a guy like him, you lose a lot of firepower,” Zimmer said.
Cook’s MRI revealed that he suffered a torn ACL, and the Vikings will have to move on without their star running back.
What does this mean for the Vikings?
The Vikings will have to depend on Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon to shoulder the lion’s share of carries in Cook’s absence. Minnesota acquired Murray in free agency over the offseason, and he ran for 788 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Oakland Raiders in 2016. McKinnon, on the other hand, ran for 539 yards with the Vikings last year.
Minnesota’s offense has been hampered by injuries in this young season. Quarterback Sam Bradford hasn’t played since Week 1 due to a bone bruise in his left knee, and fans still do not know when he will return to the field.
But Cook was off to an amazing start in his rookie campaign, galloping for 354 yards and two touchdowns. Many questioned if Cook would experience sudden success in the NFL. Yes, his play throughout the first four weeks proved those critics wrong.
The Vikings lost one of its best players in Cook, and they will have to find ways to make more plays without him.
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