Anyone involved with the NFL will tell you that winning is the most important thing in the league, and the Minnesota Vikings have been doing plenty of that lately. After starting the season with a 1-4 record and looking like they’d compete for a top-5 pick rather than the postseason, the Vikings have won 4 games in a row to put them at the back end of the current NFC playoff picture.
Vikings Could Be Losing Yet Another Key Piece
Vikings’ HC Kevin O’Connell told reporters that RB Cam Akers suffered an Achilles injury today.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 5, 2023
And while they deserve to celebrate their month-long winning streak, they have had some serious issues with injuries in recent weeks, including season-ending ailments to some of their best and most important players.
It began with Justin Jefferson, who was placed on IR after Week 10. A hamstring injury was supposed to put him on the shelf for 4–6 weeks, and it is reportedly unclear how the Vikings are planning on bringing him back. The surge in wins has given reasons for optimism as Jefferson’s motivation to return as quickly as possible, but given what happened to Kirk Cousins last week, it is possible that Jefferson is held out for an extended period.
Is Cousins’ Absence Keeping Jefferson Out?
Vikings’ Pro Bowl wide receiver Justin Jefferson is eligible to come off the injured reserve this week from a hamstring injury that was expected to sideline him four to six weeks. But Jefferson still has to meet with the doctors, the team has to decide how it wants to handle… pic.twitter.com/dL5FFvlNIY
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 5, 2023
Cousins was putting up top-5 numbers through the first half of the season, and was a big reason why the team had salvaged their season the way that they had. But in Week 8 against the Packers, he hit the turf with a non-contact injury that wound up being an Achilles tear that would end his season. It was a huge blow to the positive outlook for the rest of the season for the Vikings, who traded for quarterback Josh Dobbs during the week for added depth at the position.
Dobbs was able to come into Sunday’s game in relief and help lead Minnesota to their fifth victory of the season, but the injury list grew with the reports that came after the final whistle.
Running back Cam Akers was carted off of the field in the second half against the Falcons, and head coach Kevin O’Connell told reporters that the team fears a torn Achilles. There has been no official diagnosis, but we will know more after further tests are run on Monday.
While Alexander Mattison is the team’s feature back and yardage leader, Akers has 38 touches in his 5 games with the Vikings entering Sunday, and is the only running back on the roster to have a rushing touchdown so far this season.
Minnesota will take on New Orleans next weekend in a matchup that will be a battle for positioning in the NFC standings.
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