Danielle Hunter, Minnesota Vikings. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
The Minnesota Vikings fear for the worst over the status of defensive end Danielle Hunter.
After losing on Sunday Night Football to the Dallas Cowboys, the 3-4 Minnesota Vikings might have lost star pass-rusher Danielle Hunter for the season.
Hunter is having an MRI on Monday to assess an injury he suffered on Sunday night. If the diagnosis confirms it is a torn pectoral muscle, then his season comes to an end after only seven games. The two-time Pro Bowl defensive end had six sacks on the campaign, but was unable to bring the opposing quarterback to the turf in either of the Vikings’ two most recent ballgames.
It might only be the beginning of November, but the Vikings’ season is falling apart at the seams.
Danielle Hunter injury: Where do the Vikings go from here?
With the Green Bay Packers already running away with the NFC North, the best the Vikings can hope for is to be a wild card team. Though it helps that the Chicago Bears are struggling too and the Detroit Lions cannot win a game for the life of them, the NFC West and probably the NFC South are getting at least one wild card team in apiece this year. The NFC North, not so much.
With it being a postseason or bust type of season in the Twin Cities, missing the playoffs will almost certainly bring to the end the Mike Zimmer era of Vikings football. It would also mean the Vikings will do everything in their power to move off quarterback Kirk Cousins and undergo a lengthy rebuilding process. By having Hunter out for likely the rest of the season, this will not help.
The Vikings needed to beat a depleted Cowboys team at home on Sunday night and totally blew it.