Vikings' Cameron Dantzler exits because of ankle injury; rookie Akayleb Evans steps up in his place

LANDOVER, MD. – Vikings cornerback Cameron Dantzler exited because of an ankle injury in the second quarter and was replaced by rookie Akayleb Evans during Sunday's 20-17 victory over the Commanders.

Dantzler left the game shortly after he was at the bottom of a pileup, and flagged for a low block, on a 2-yard run by Washington running back Antonio Gibson. His absence was unrelated to the neck injury that limited him in practices last week and had him listed as questionable entering the game.

"That's one of those injuries [that's] hard to give a timetable on," Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell said. "We'll get him evaluated, probably give him an MRI [on Monday] and see where he's at."

The Vikings coaching staff turned to Evans, a fourth-round draft pick, and not second-round pick Andrew Booth Jr., who has missed time because of various injuries since being drafted. Evans was a force defending the perimeter in the run game with two of his four tackles going for a Commanders loss.

He also said he was assigned man-to-man coverage on Commanders star receiver Terry McLaurin when he swatted away a fourth-down pass to force a turnover on downs in the third quarter.

"I just wanted to be aggressive," Evans said. "That was the mind-set. I took him across the field and hung with it. I saw the quarterback get rid of it and was in a good position to knock it down."

Depending on Dantzler's outlook, Evans could stay in the lineup after some "big-time snaps," O'Connell said.

"Between the physicality that he showed, and knowing the type of player that Terry McLaurin and some of their other guys are, I felt like he really had an impact in there," the coach added. "It seemed he was incredibly comfortable in that moment. We'll see how Cam does, but it's big-time snaps for Akayleb stepping in there."

O'Connell said quarterback Kirk Cousins missed one snap in the fourth quarter because he was shaken up following a hit by Daron Payne, the aptly named Commanders defensive tackle. Cousins was down for a minute after the 47-yard throw to Justin Jefferson, but would have stayed in the game if not for a league-mandated exit after a stoppage to be evaluated.

It was Cousins' first missed snap in a game he started since November 2020. He returned one play later and the Vikings finished the drive with a 25-yard field goal by Greg Joseph to cut Washington's lead to 17-10. Cousins took nine hits and two sacks Sunday.

"Kirk got hit quite a bit," O'Connell said. "The interior of that defensive line is pretty darn good. … That play was special, in my opinion. There was a critical third-and-7. We've got the matchup one-on-one. Kirk knew he was going to have to pay for that one."

Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke, who signed with the Vikings in 2015 as an undrafted free agent, said there wasn't any extra motivation in facing the team that let him go before the 2017 season. Heinicke completed 53.6% of his throws for 149 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the loss.

Heinicke referenced Commanders offensive coordinator Scott Turner, the Vikings quarterbacks coach from 2014-2016, as one of his supporters from his time in Minnesota.

"I don't really have anything toward the Vikings," Heinicke said. "The guys who brought me in there were gone by the time I left. They brought me to Carolina and here. So, the guys that I'm with now, they're the ones that believed in me. I don't have any ill will toward the Vikings."