Vikings RB Cam Akers reportedly tore his Achilles in win over Falcons

Cam Akers’ season is reportedly finished.

Akers, who was traded to the Minnesota Vikings earlier this fall from the Los Angeles Rams, was carted off the field Sunday afternoon in Atlanta. Head coach Kevin O’Connell said after the Vikings’ comeback win over the Falcons that Akers likely sustained an Achilles injury, which would end his season.

Those fears were confirmed Monday, as Akers reportedly has a torn Achilles, per multiple reports.

Akers went down late in the third quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium after he was tackled awkwardly after making a catch. He left the field on his own, but was eventually carted off the field into the locker room and was quickly ruled out with an ankle injury.

The fourth-year running back had 25 rushing yards on eight carries when he went down, and had 13 receiving yards on three catches. Akers will finish the year with 142 rushing yards, 57 receiving yards and two total touchdowns.

Akers was traded to the Vikings by the Rams in September in exchange for a future draft pick swap. The 24-year-old played in the Rams’ season opener this fall, but was a healthy scratch until the team traded him. Akers had a career-high 786 yards and seven touchdowns last season, his third in the league after the Rams took him with the No. 52 overall pick in 2020. He’s in the final year of his initial four-year, $6.17 million deal.

The Achilles injury is the second one a major Vikings offensive player has sustained in as many weeks. Quarterback Kirk Cousins went down with the same injury last week, which ended his season. That paved the way for Joshua Dobbs, who replaced rookie Jaren Hall after he sustained a concussion in the first quarter, to lead the Vikings on the comeback.

Dobbs, who was traded to Minnesota on Tuesday from the Arizona Cardinals, led the Vikings on an 11-play, 75-yard scoring drive that put them up with just 22 seconds left and eventually gave them the 31-28 win. Dobbs finished 20-of-30 for 158 yards passing with two touchdowns. He was also the Vikings’ leading rusher with 66 yards and a touchdown on seven carries.

Minnesota has now won four straight and five of its past six. The Vikings will host the New Orleans Saints next week. With Akers down, Alexander Mattison will likely take the bulk of the carries for Minnesota. He had 44 rushing yards on 16 carries Sunday, and has 390 rushing yards this season.