I muttered that sentence a mere 96 days ago. I had just slumped into my seat at US Bank Stadium, head in my hands, immediately after Dalvin Cook fumbled and went down in a heap after making a cut in the Week 4 game against Detroit.
“That’s his ACL. I guarantee it. He’ll be out for the season.”
The next day, I was proven correct. But I didn’t need to wait 24 hours to make my next baleful declaration. There were still 101⁄2 minutes left in the third quarter of the fourth game of the season, yet I was all but certain of one thing:
“The season’s over.