The Arizona Cardinals lost defensive back Tyrann Mathieu for the season with a torn ACL, suffered in the final minutes of a 40-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians announced on Monday.
Cardinals safety Tyrann Mathieu done for the season with torn ACL
Tough break for the Cardinals as they gear up for a postseason run.
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Mathieu, 23, was in the conversation for NFL Defensive Player of the Year for his 2015 campaign with five interceptions, 16 defended passes, one forced fumble and one sack. The injury occurred on the final defensive play of the game for Arizona as Mathieu made a game-ending interception that gave the ball back to the Cardinals offense to kneel out the remainder of the clock.
Immediately after the interception, Mathieu went to the ground and held his knee and later told trainers that he felt a pop, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Arians told Peter King of Sports Illustrated immediately after the game that the severity of the injury would be determined by an MRI on Monday.
“It could be devastating. It could be okay,” Arians said. “We just don’t know. When he came off the field, he was smiling. But the doctor said the knee’s loose.”
The Cardinals have a two-game lead over the Green Bay Packers and can clinch a first-round bye in the postseason by winning one more game. Mathieu will likely be replaced in the starting lineup by Tony Jefferson, a third-year safety with 15 career starts with the Cardinals. Jefferson tweeted words of support shortly after the news of Mathieu’s injury broke:
Prayers to my savage .. God got this homie!
— Tony Jefferson (@tonyjefferson1) December 21, 2015 Mathieu suffered an ACL tear in December of his rookie year and missed one game at the beginning of the 2014 season.
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