Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook had one of the highest upsides of any offensive weapon picked in the most recent NFL draft. Now a Vikings team with playoff aspirations might have to face a future without him.

The rookie collapsed to the ground in the third quarter against the Detroit Lions on Sunday after trying to make a cut through traffic and tweaking his knee in the process. Cook immediately left the field and was ruled out for the rest of the game. The Vikings went on to lose 14-7.

You can see just how much of a shock the injury was to Cook. He quickly clutches his left knee and drops the ball to apply pressure to it. In that moment nothing else mattered and rightfully so.

The Vikings are already down two quarterbacks with Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater dealing with various injuries. Cook had not only become the heir to Adrian Peterson’s backfield but linchpin of the offense as a whole. Throughout the first three weeks of the season, Cook has tallied 354 yards on 74 carries with two touchdowns — including one against the Lions.

Minnesota took Cook in the second round with the 41st pick overall after making Peterson a free agent with hopes that the rookie could develop into the same type of power running back.

That plan is now on pause with what the Vikings believe could be an ACL injury.

It’s been a rough day overall for offensive stars. Shortly before Cook’s injury, Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota was pulled with a hamstring injury against the Texans, and Julio Jones (hip flexor) and Mohamed Sanu (hamstring) were ruled out for the remainder of the Falcons game.

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Blake Schuster is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at blakeschuster@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Schustee

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