It was confirmed on Monday that Minnesota Vikings running back Cam Akers ruptured his Achilles tendon in Week 9.
Week 9 was a tough one for the Minnesota Vikings. Not only was their game against the Atlanta Falcons a nail-biter, but the team saw a few players leave the game with injuries and a couple of them did not return.
One player who exited the game and did not return was running back Cam Akers. When seeing his injury, Vikings fans were likely reminded of the previous week when quarterback Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles tendon and required season-ending surgery.
The injury was called an "ankle injury" at first, but Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell clarified after the game that it was his Achilles but didn't know the severity of the injury until after Akers had an MRI completed.
On Monday afternoon, it was confirmed by the Star Tribune's Ben Goessling that it was in fact an Achilles tendon rupture. Cam Akers will miss the remainder of the season. Here is his post on X stating the injury's severity.
Kevin O’Connell said Cam Akers ruptured his Achilles’ tendon. A MRI confirmed the injury this morning. O’Connell: “Cam is pretty bummed out. Quite honestly, he exceeded all of my expectations. We’re going to be with him every step of the way in the recovery from this.”
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) November 6, 2023
What now for the Minnesota Vikings at running back?
Cam Akers' role was growing with the Minnesota Vikings as he was splitting carries with Alexander Mattison. The 24-year-old running back carried the ball 38 times for 138 yards and a touchdown in his six games played for the team after arriving in a trade with the Rams.
It will be interesting to see if Minnesota looks to Ty Chandler or Kene Nwangwu to pick up his production or if they will look to free agency to add another running back. Either way, this will have an impact on the Vikings' offense.
We at the Viking Age would like to wish Cam Akers a full and speedy recovery and thank him for his contributions to the team this season. Hopefully he will be back and ready for action when the 2024 NFL season arrives.