Teammates' Concern for Kirk Cousins Overshadows Vikings Win at ...
Cheers didn't reverberate through the visitors' locker room at Green Bay.
The Vikings defeated the Packers 24-10 Sunday afternoon, notching their third straight win and improving to 4-4 overall and 2-0 within the division in 2023.
But while music played, no one bounced or sang along with it. Rather, the mood was described as "positive but cautious" following a significant injury to quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Vikings Head Coach Kevin O'Connell told reporters it's "**feared**" that Cousins suffered an Achilles injury, which likely will be confirmed Monday with further imaging.
"It just hurts to know that he's not, more than likely, going to be able to continue progressing forward on what has really felt like his best season as a pro," O'Connell said during his postgame press conference.
"I think you can feel it. You guys can feel it throughout our whole locker room. They know. Our guys know," O'Connell later added.
Left tackle Christian Darrisaw said it "hurt" seeing Cousins go down.
"It takes away from this win," Darrisaw said. "We're praying for Kirk."
Added defensive tackle Harrison Phillips: "Thankful for a win, for sure. But [it doesn't feel like] a normal three-game win streak vibe."
"It feels weird not having '8' out there," safety Josh Metellus said. "He's part of this team."
K.J. Osborn, who led the team with 99 receiving yards, noted the impact Cousins has on the entire roster and what he's personally gleaned from the QB.
"I always say that Kirk's preparation is so amazing that it pushes me to want to prepare and be at my best. And if I'm a leader, guys are looking to me as that. I get that from him," Osborn said. "His preparation, his detail, his focus. Kirk, he's not really a rah-rah guy, but if he's out there, [even if] he's yellin' at us as receivers, we feed off that even more. We don't look at that as negative. We look at it as he's that focused, he's that prepared and he's that hungry.
"He's everything to this locker room," Osborn added.
Rookie receiver Jordan Addison shared similar sentiments after an 82-yard, one-touchdown outing.
He emphasized that losing Cousins impacts not only the receivers or even the offense but the team as a whole.
"His leadership, that's just a guy that we need around," Addison said. "But even though he's down, we know he's still going to be around. He's still going to help the quarterback room out, he's still going to help the defense, he's still going to help the receivers."
Multiple players grew emotional discussing Cousins and what he means to the team, including veteran safety Harrison Smith, who has teamed with Cousins since Minnesota signed him in 2018.
"I can't describe it," Smith told reporters. "You really just have to experience it to know."
Cornerback Byron Murphy, Jr., who joined the Vikings as a free agent this offseason, called Cousins the best quarterback he's ever played with.
"Praying for him and his family," Murphy said.
1 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
2 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
3 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
4 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
5 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
6 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
7 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
8 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
9 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
10 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
11 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
12 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
13 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
14 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
15 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
16 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
17 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
18 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
19 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
20 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
21 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
22 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
23 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
24 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
25 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
26 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
27 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
28 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
29 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
30 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
31 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
32 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
33 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
34 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
35 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
36 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
37 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
38 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
39 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
40 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
41 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
42 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
43 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
44 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
45 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
46 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
47 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
48 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
49 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
50 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
51 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
52 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
53 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
54 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
55 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
56 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
57 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
58 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
59 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
60 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
61 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
62 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
63 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
64 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
65 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
66 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
67 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
68 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
69 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
70 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
71 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
72 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
73 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
74 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
75 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
76 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
77 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
78 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
79 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
80 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
81 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
82 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
83 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
84 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
85 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
86 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
87 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
88 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
89 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
90 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
91 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
92 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
93 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
94 / 96
Alli Rusco/Minnesota Vikings
95 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
96 / 96
Andy Kenutis/Minnesota Vikings
Rookie QB Jaren Hall, who stepped in after the injury, spoke to media members following the Vikings win and said it "breaks your heart" to see that for Cousins, who has never in his NFL career missed a game due to injury.
"I've really got no words for it," a solemn Hall said. "That guy's the leader of the team. He's the heart and soul of the team. Had such a great season to this point. It's been an honor and so fun to watch.
"You just hope and pray for the best," Hall continued. "That's just the guy that we play for. I can't say anything else. Just thoughts and prayers with him and his family right now."
The Vikings will sup
