One unfortunate play is all it took to end Kirk Cousins' 2023 season. However, one classy move is all it took to endear Cousins to Vikings fans for the rest of time.
After Cousins tore his Achilles in the fourth quarter, he hopped off the field and got onto the injury cart. Cousins' face told fans all they needed to know: The injury was bad. Potentially (and, reportedly likely) season-ending. Minnesota's timetable for finding a new franchise quarterback was suddenly condensed, throwing the team's playoff hopes into the wind.
But that's all for the future. Right now, Cousins, the current NFL leader in touchdown passes (18), is making a case for a Vikings statue to be built in his honor after video footage was released of him getting taken to the locker room.
As Cousins was helped onto the cart, he shook the hands of a few Vikings players before putting on his beanie. Then, he looked back to the field and cheered and clapped for his team during a play in the key divisional matchup against the Packers.
Kirk Cousins should go down in history as an all-time great Viking
It didn't matter that Cousins was likely leaving the team after this year, as he was playing in the final season of his contract. It didn't matter that Cousins had such a shoddy primetime record (he won against the 49ers, didn't he?) All that mattered was that Cousins cared about the team in that moment.
Following his devastating injury, he could have just as easily kept his head down and worried about his future. A 35-year-old sustaining an Achilles tear in the twilight years of his NFL career? He's no Aaron Rodgers. Whether he'll play again is anyone's guess.
But Cousins proved he was a Viking for life in his final moment on the field. And boy, is Minnesota going to miss him.
