Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook said he expects to play next week against the Detroit Lions despite leaving Monday night’s game early after aggravating a chest injury that limited him in practice last week.
Cook was injured as Seattle Seahawks defensive end Rasheem Green punched the ball free of Cook’s grasp on a third quarter run. Bradley McDougald would recover the loose ball, which set up a Jason Myers field goal that gave Seattle a 20-17 lead. Cook remained down on the field for a reasonably lengthy period of time before getting to his feet and walking slowly off the field. He was immediately taken to the locker room for further evaluation.
While the injury was announced as a shoulder injury at the time, it’s actually a recurrence of the chest injury he dealt with coming out of the team’s win over the Denver Broncos.
“He just hit me right on what I had last week when we played the Broncos,” Cook said. “He just hit me right on it, when he went to punch for the ball, hit me right on it. It was kind of like a different feeling. It was different. He got me in a good spot. It’s a weird injury that I’ve got. It’s kind of like when I land in an awkward spot, it kind of hurts. I try to kind of land where it don’t hurt so. It’s kind of awkward, the way that I was landing. But like I said, it’s a physical sport. End of the year, I’ll be all right.”
Head coach Mike Zimmer flatly said “no” when asked if Cook’s injury was something to worry about. Cook had nine carries for 29 yards and three catches for 35 yards when he was forced from the game.
Cook vowed to play next weekend against the Lions.
“I’ll definitely be ready to go Sunday,” he said.