The Minnesota Vikings appeared to be in the closing stages of significant 24-10 road victory over the Green Bay Packers when the their season took a sudden punch in the gut. A play after quarterback Kirk Cousins was sacked for the first time in the game, the quarterback was under pressure once again and tired to step up into the pocket. He went down after taking a mis-step, and was forced to limp off the field in pain.

After the Vikings finished off the game, head coach Kevin O'Connell said his starting quarterback suffered an Achilles injury, one that was later reported to be a torn Achilles. If that is the case, and Cousins will have an MRI to confirm it, the Vikings will have to turn to rookie Jaren Hall or veteran Nick Mullens at the quarterback position.

Neither quarterback is considered to be one of the better backups in the NFL.

The mood in the Vikings locker room was emotional following the loss of Cousins. He is widely respected by his teammates, and he is considered one of the keys to the Vikings season. “I can’t describe it,” Harrison Smith said. “You really just have to experience it to know.”

The Vikings appeared to have turned their season around, as the victory over the Packers was their 4th in 5 games, and had lifted their record to 4-4. It seemed like they would be in a strong position to challenge Detroit for the NFC North title or at least go after a Wild Card position because they had several winnable games on the horizon.

The Cousins injury could destroy those plans.