Cam Akers, with two Achilles tears in his past, delivers for Vikings in clutch

Facing a third and 2 with 1:49 on the clock, the Vikings needed one more play to seal a two-point win. Sam Darnold took the snap, ran a few steps to the right, and lofted a pass over a Packers defender. Kevin O'Connell said it felt like the ball was in the air "for absolutely ever." Even though it was a little bit behind him, Cam Akers was able to adjust and snag it before it could hit the turf. Game over.

CLUTCH catch by Cam Akers for the first down to seal it! 🔥

📺: #GBvsMIN on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/tqo6bSZaSp
— NFL (@NFL) December 30, 2024

Akers was a bit of an unlikely hero for the Vikings in Sunday's huge victory, which sets up a winner-take-all game for the NFC North title and No.1 seed next weekend in Detroit. Aaron Jones was dealing with a quad contusion, so O'Connell turned to his backup running back — a player he absolutely adores — down the stretch.

In a testament to one man's perseverance and the depth of an incredible football team, Akers delivered. Not only did he catch the game-sealing pass, he scored what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown when he took a screen pass and found his way into the end zone to make it 27-10 late in the third quarter. The Vikings needed all of those points in a 27-25 win.

It's been quite the journey for Akers to get to this point. The 25-year-old was a second-round pick of the Rams in 2020, when O'Connell was their offensive coordinator. Before their 2021 Super Bowl season, he tore his Achilles. After slipping down the depth chart in LA in 2023, he was traded to the Vikings — and then tore his Achilles again last November. But he bounced back, and after a solid preseason with the Texans, he was traded to the Vikings for the second straight year in October. Now he's making critical plays on a 14-2 team that has designs on winning the whole thing.

"Cam has something inside him that allowed him to push through the adversity of what's happened to him over the course of his career," O'Connell said. "He loves football. I think he loves being a Minnesota Viking. He loves his teammates. His teammates were probably the most excited all season when Cam scored on that screen, and then obviously the catch late. He just brings something, brings physicality, brings a level of mental and physical toughness that I think makes us all better. I feel very fortunate to have him on this team."

The fact that Akers is even playing football after two Achilles tears is impressive in its own right. The contributions he's made as the Vikings' No. 2 running back since the trade — 280 yards, three touchdowns, and one extremely clutch reception — show you why O'Connell is such a huge fan.

Akers' teammates love him, too. He quickly endeared himself to them last season with his personality and his effort, like on his pancake block of a Falcons defensive lineman in the game where he got hurt. When he was brought back this season, it felt right because of how he fits into the team's culture.

"He's always a super positive guy in the locker room, he's always — good play, bad play, next play, 'ain't nothing to it but to do it,'" Brian O'Neill said. "Really happy for him. I did one Achilles (tear), he did two. It's pretty freaking cool to see him come back and have a big-time role like that after doing two of them."

"This is probably the best team I've been on as far as people," Akers said. "Obviously we've got great players, but we've got great people. I'm thankful to be a part of this."

SKOL VIKES BABY 💜 https://t.co/o1m9d5jBHP
— Cam akers (@thereal_cam3) December 30, 2024

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