Bad news for the current leaders of the National Football Conference (NFC) West, the Arizona Cardinals, as safety Tyrann Mathieu will no longer play in the 2015 season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) Sunday.
The Cardinals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday but lost Mathieu Monday, when a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed the tear, ESPN reported.
ESPN added that Mathieu suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of Sunday's win after intercepting Eagles quarterback Sam Bradford.
Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said the 23-year-old safety will wait for the swelling to subside before having surgery, which will likely be done as soon as possible so he can return immediately, ESPN also reported.
In a report on the Cardinals website, Arians had a hard time making the announcement of the injury Monday and also stated, "We have a little different bond, just because of where he came from, where I came from. I've just gotten real attached to him. I love the player but I love the person more."
Mathieu is having a great 2015 season and in 14 regular season games played has 89 tackles, one sack, and five interceptions, including the one that led to the injury.
The former LSU Tiger's tackle and interception tally this season are career-bests for him, which includes one interception returned for a touchdown, ESPN reported.
Because of his performance this season, Arians believes that Mathieu should have been one of the top candidates for the Defensive Player of the Year award, and feels bad for the safety suffering the injury with two games left in the regular season.
The Cardinals, who are holding an 11–2 record and are on an eight-game winning streak, will play their next two games at the University of Phoenix Stadium, against the Green Bay Packers this Sunday and the Seattle Seahawks on Jan. 3, 2016.
