When Tyrann Mathieu injured his knee Sunday, it was almost immediately believed by coach Bruce Arians that Mathieu had torn his ACL. Turns out, it's even worse than that.
Not only did Mathieu tear his ACL, but according to Arians on Monday, he also tore his LCL. Which, naturally, will further complicate his rehabilitation.
As noted by former Chargers team doctor David Chao.
@joshkatzowitz Yes. LCL complicates things. Unexpected by me but I didn't see a good angle on replay. Surprised if he's back first game 2014
— David J. Chao, MD (@ProFootballDoc) December 9, 2013
Mathieu reportedly now will wait 10 days before surgery to repair his knee in order to let the LCL begin to heal on its own.
It's an unfortunate end to a Mathieu rookie campaign that had been rather magical.
He was drafted in the third round by Arizona, although it was unclear whether anybody would select Mathieu at all because of his positive drug tests in college and because he had been out of high-level football for a year following his dismissal by LSU coaches.
Pro Football Focus has him ranked as the second-best cornerback in the league according to its metrics, and Patrick Peterson, his former teammate at LSU and current teammate who was instrumental in allowing the Cardinals to feel comfortable with drafting Mathieu in the first place, is ranked No. 3.
As such, the Cardinals have the fifth-ranked defense in the league, and with Arizona still in playoff contention, the fact it'll lose Mathieu for the rest of the season is a big disappointment.
“He’s been bawling since he’s got the news,” cornerback Jerraud Powers said after the game, via the Arizona Republic. “It’s going to be a huge blow. I just feel bad for him. Guys like him and Patrick, football is the world and more to them. He really feels blessed just to be on the field ...
“The extra dimension Ty brought to the table is when we were in regular personnel, sometimes we didn’t have to bring in an extra [defensive back] We’ll probably have to find a few ways to take care of that.”
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