The news couldn't be worse for the Minnesota Vikings.
Coach Mike Zimmer confirmed Monday that rookie running back Dalvin Cook will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL during Sunday's 14-7 loss to the Lions.
"I expect him to come back and be the same that he was," Zimmer told reporters of Cook, who tumbled to the turf with the non-contact injury early in the third quarter against Detroit, a play that saw him also lose the ball for a fumble before grasping at his knee.
Chalk it up as a devastating loss for the Vikings, who can't ask Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon to duplicate the versatility and eye-popping production Cook churned out in his first month as an NFL star.
The second-rounder out of Florida State led the team in rushing with 354 yards on the ground at 4.8 yards per tote with another 90 yards through the air off 11 receptions.
While the hope is that Sam Bradford will return soon from knee problems of his own, Cook's setback is another reminder of just how unlucky this Vikings team has been with their young core on offense.
Bradford's only on the roster because Minnesota, last season, watched promising young quarterback Teddy Bridgewater crumble to the ground in practice with a devastating knee injury of his own.
Vikings fans are left longing for a day when all this talent is on the field at the same time.
