Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins left Sunday’s NFL game against the Green Bay Packers with an injury during the fourth quarter. It did not look good.
Cousins, 35, limped off the field after a non-contact injury. He could not put any pressure on his right leg and was screaming in pain once he reached the bench.
Although Cousins was initially being carted to the locker room after coming out of the game, he stayed on the sideline while sitting on the medical cart. The team declared it an “ankle injury” and ruled him out.
UPDATE: It is not his ankle. Head coach Kevin O’Connell first said that the team feared a torn Achilles tendon. Adam Schefter later reported that it is a torn Achilles.
Video of the play showed the Cousins suffered a freak occurrence.
He was not hit. He did not cut funny. Nothing of that nature.
Rather, Cousins faked the handoff for the Vikings on the play-action and shuffled out to the left. As he did, his right leg planted behind him when he looked to throw.
It was very clear right away that something was wrong. Cousins tried to continue on. He could not.
A hole on the left side of the line opened up and Cousins tried to run through. There was just no way.
Cousins could not run. He curled up and went down.
Unfortunately, a close-up replay makes the injury look even worse.
Cousins went to brace himself with his right foot and his toes hit the ground first. His heel hit second.
As his foot flattened out on the ground, his calf visibly shook. There was a ripple.
*WARNING — VIDEO OF THE INJURY IS GRAPHIC*
The gruesome slow-motion video shows an eerily similar image as other torn Achilles tendon injuries in the past. Sure enough, that’s what happened.
His Achilles popped when his heel made contact with the ground.
HERE IS THE CLOSE-UP LOOK:
Minnesota initially said that it was an ankle issue. Kirk Cousins did not appear to injure his ankle and we now know that he tore his Achilles.