Down 10 points in the fourth quarter of an early-season NFC North battle, the Minnesota Vikings will not have running back Dalvin Cook for the rest of the game. Cook has been ruled out with a shoulder injury, and Alexander Mattison is now Minnesota’s RB.
Minnesota Vikings RB Dalvin Cook suffers shoulder injury
Cook had taken 17 attempts for 96 yards and a touchdown before going down. With Minnesota’s passing offense struggling, Cook was a focal point of the team’s game plan against Detroit.
After being evaluated in the medical tent, Cook returned to the sideline. However, it’s not a promising sign that the Vikings quickly ruled him out of the game.
The injury to Cook is all the more concerning because the 27-year-old has a lengthy injury history. He’s never played more than 14 games in a season, and he suffered a shoulder dislocation and labrum tear just last year.
The Vikings obviously don’t want to be without Cook for any period of time, but they do have a plug-and-play RB2 in Mattison. In 2021, Mattison started four games in Cook’s absence, rushing for at least 90 yards in four of them.
Minnesota will face a stiff defensive test in Week 4 when they travel to London to play the Saints. They’ll then play the Bears and Dolphins before their Week 7 bye.