Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr playing with a broken hand
By Adam Carlson
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr played an amazing game on Sunday against the Falcons, and he’s getting it all done with a broken left hand.
Anthony Barr may have been the best player on the field for Sunday’s contest between the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings. He made some huge plays, including breaking up a long pass and causing two fumbles. The highly athletic player did have one statistic that we didn’t know about during the game though.
He is playing with a broken left hand.
Seriously. Eight tackles (seven of those solo), two forced fumbles, one sack, and one pass defense. All playing through the pain of a broken hand.
Here is a tweet from Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press discussing when the hand was injured:
Anthony Barr has played since breaking his left hand nov 8 but says it's all better now
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) November 30, 2015
Despite that great effort working through an injury, Barr still didn’t feel like he did a great job. Instead, he is focusing on areas where he can improve. The young linebacker spoke about that in an article on Vikings.com.
"Sep 28, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) is sacked by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr (55) during the fourth quarter at TCF Bank Stadium. The Vikings defeated the Falcons 41-28. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports“I still feel like I didn’t play great,” Barr said. “There’s a lot of areas where I wish I could have done better here and there.”"
For the modesty that Anthony Barr shows, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer has no problem heaping praise on him.
"“I really think the sky is the limit for the guy,” Zimmer said. “There’s so many things you can do with him. He’s been limited the last couple of weeks because of the hand and today we decided we were going to let him loose a little more. That was good. I just think he’s got a very, very bright future. He could be a tremendous football player.”"
You can see Anthony Barr and the rest of the Minnesota Vikings when they take on the Seattle Seahawks from TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on December 6, 2015.