Patriots lose Cooks, Chung with concussions

MINNEAPOLIS -- New England Patriots wide receiver Brandin Cooks was knocked out of Super Bowl LII with a head injury in the second quarter on Sunday night after a hard hit by Philadelphia Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins. Patriots safety Patrick Chung later exited the game when he suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter. Chung's primary coverage responsibility is the tight end and the Eagles' Zach Ertz scored the go-ahead touchdown on an 11-yard pass from Nick Foles after Chung went out. Cooks turned to run after catching a pass in the first half and was tagged by Jenkins with a blind-side hit to the head at the end of a 23-yard reception. Cooks, the Patriots' No. 1 receiver, lay motionless on the field before the medical staff arrived. He immediately walked to the locker room and was ruled out of the game. Jenkins was not flagged for the helmet-to-helmet hit because Cooks turned to run before contact was made. Current and former NFL players reacted on Twitter. Former Eagles linebacker Emmanuel Acho tweeted: "We all just witnessed a murder. Suspect 6'1 215, last seen wearing an #Eagles jersey #27. #SuperBowl." Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier, himself severely injured by a hit in December, said: "Praying that my bro @brandincooks gets better." With Cooks sidelined, the Patriots were left with three available wide receivers -- Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola and Phillip Dorsett. Cooks was in his first season with the Patriots after coming to New England in an offseason trade with the New Orleans Saints in exchange for a first-round draft pick. During the regular season, Cooks accounted for 65 receptions and 1,082 yards with seven touchdowns. In two playoff games, he added nine catches for 132 yards.