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Part I: “Captain America” Goes Down
Football will break your heart every single time.
The Minnesota Vikings – who were supposedly the ‘Law of Averages,’ ‘regression’ team heading into this NFL season – were just starting to get rolling. They had already lost Justin Jefferson – who is arguably the best football player in the world – but that didn’t stop them.
Why and how? You ask. Kirk Cousins, that’s why.
“Captain Kirk,” whom I now refer to as “Captain America” because he became the nation’s most popular QB on the Netflix show Quarterback, kept the Vikings’ ship steady. They didn’t panic without Jefferson. They didn’t mail in the season. Instead, they got stronger, coming together as a unit behind Cousins’ unparalleled leadership.
So why, football gods? Why did this happen? The Vikings – who, to this day, have still never won a Super Bowl, despite a very respectable franchise – are now 4-4 in the final NFC playoff spot, and they’ll be without Kirk for the remainder of the NFL season.
Cousins’ Achilles tear was just too painful to watch. This man is loved by so many people. His teammates were crying.
And what did Kirk do at his lowest moment? On the cart, on his way off the field… he was clapping and cheering for his teammates, rooting them on until the bitter end.
This hero’s story ends for this season, but he will rise again. Just you wait.
Part II: NFL Drops the Ball with Brock Purdy
Brock Purdy was in concussion protocol all week, and in today’s NFL? Usually, that means a no-go for the player. But the NFL forced the issue here, allowing one of its most popular – and polarizing – young players to suit up, putting him at health risk against the hungry Cincinnati Bengals, who are on the rise.
And of course, what happened?
Late in the game, Purdy took a hit, and his head SLAMMED into the turf at full force. He put his hands over his helmet, dazed and confused. That marked the end of his day, right?
Nope. Instead, the NFL – who is apparently looking ‘so hard’ at these things – allowed Purdy to finish the game… he wasn’t even asked to visit the medical tent!
We saw what happened last year when the NFL literally put Tua Tagovailoa’s career in jeopardy, allowing him to ‘push through’ to an unsafe degree. So how could this happen with Purdy? No one was looking closely? No one cares about player safety, long-term?
In the end, the 49ers may have lucked out here. They have the bye in Week 9. With a bit of time off, maybe Purdy can get back to some semblance of health. Still, the ‘high-and-mighty’ NFL has to do better here.
Part III: MetLife Stadium Kills the Jets and Giants
Players have been complaining about field conditions at MetLife Stadium all season long, and things couldn’t have gotten any worse in the rain yesterday.
The Jets lost THREE important offensive linemen in slippery conditions, leaving them with their third center attempting to snap the ball to Zach Wilson. The Giants lost their quarterback, Tyrod Taylor. At some point, wide receiver/punt return extraordinaire Xavier Gipson also went down.
Is Woody Johnson, the Jets owner, ever going to do anything about this?
Multi-million dollar investments everywhere, and you don’t wanna ensure the safety of your players? What about common courtesy to other teams and their players?
MetLife Stadium, at this point, is bordering on unplayable. You could see smart players, like Breece Hall, easing up as the game went on because they didn’t want to risk season-ending injury.
It was horrible. A slop fest. Unacceptable.
How many devastating Jets injuries will it take for Woody Johnson to wake up and take action?
John Frascella is a published sports author who has been covering the NFL for 19 years. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) for all things NFL, NBA and MLB throughout the year.
