The Arizona Cardinals won't have safety Tyrann Mathieu for the rest of the year. The team announced Monday that Mathieu tore his ACL Sunday night.
Mathieu's injury came on an interception late in the fourth quarter. He jumped for the interception and his right knee buckled awkwardly when he landed.
Mathieu was in the midst of a career season in his third year with the Cardinals. He had a career-highs with 89 tackles, 16 pass breakups and five picks. One of those interceptions was returned for a touchdown and he had a forced fumble.
With Mathieu out, the Cardinals should move Tony Jefferson into a starting spot. The Cardinals are very deep at safety, so the loss of Mathieu won't ruin their defensive backfield. Jefferson has 64 tackles this season, fourth on the team. He's started five games this season and has three forced fumbles and two picks.
This is the second major knee injury Mathieu has had in his three years in the NFL. He tore his ACL in his left knee during his rookie season. Mathieu has yet to play a full 16-game schedule in his NFL career. The former third round pick from LSU has one more year left on a very team-friendly contract.
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