MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook injured his shoulder late in the third quarter against the Detroit Lions on Sunday and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Cook had 17 carries for a season-high 96 yards and his first touchdown of the year, but on a first-down run near midfield he ran into the back of his left guard Ezra Cleveland and had the ball fly out of his arms and recovered by the Lions.
Whether Cook was hurt in the collision or in the pile during the scrum for the fumble was unclear, but he immediately grabbed his left arm in pain and jogged off the field for further examination.
Alexander Mattison took over for Cook and scored on a short run midway through the fourth quarter that brought the Vikings within 24-21 on their way to a 28-24 comeback victory.
Cook has had shoulder injuries in the past, forcing him to sit out one game in 2021 and two games in 2019. He has never missed fewer than two games in any of his first five years in the NFL.
Afterward, Cook told coach Kevin O’Connell he planned to play next week in London against New Orleans, and O’Connell expressed optimism about Cook’s status.
“We should have some time to hopefully get him turned over,” O’Connell said.
Mattison, who had seven carries for 28 yards and one catch for 16 yards, gave Cook a pat on the shoulder pads as he took the field for the decisive drive and Cook looked on from the bench.
“You can’t break him,” Mattison said. “He’s one of those guys that just pushes through everything in life that way — strong-minded, strong-willed.”
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