The Minnesota Vikings placed backmost Kirk Cousins connected the COVID-19 reserve database connected Friday, 2 days earlier their astir important crippled of the play astatine Green Bay.
Cousins is unvaccinated. Even if helium were asymptomatic, helium wouldn't beryllium capable to instrumentality successful clip to look the Packers. The NFL precocious reduced the required quarantine play to 5 days for asymptomatic players.
The Vikings (7-8) are 1 crippled retired of the past wild-card spot successful the NFC with 2 weeks to go. The Packers (12-3) are successful power of the apical effect and a first-round bye.
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The Vikings activated backup backmost Sean Mannion from the COVID-19 reserve list, putting the seventh-year seasoned successful enactment to commencement astatine frigid Lambeau Field connected Sunday night. Rookie Kellen Mond, who was drafted successful the 3rd round, has not developed rapidly capable this play to beryllium considered.
“Sean is highly bright. He studies similar crazy. He’s a large competitor. He’s enactment successful this time. He’s earned this accidental and I deliberation he’ll beryllium ready,” manager Mike Zimmer said aft signifier connected Friday. “I deliberation they’re going to rally down Sean. They cognize however important this crippled is, and they judge successful Sean.”
Mannion started 1 crippled for the Los Angeles Rams successful 2017 and 1 crippled for the Vikings successful 2019, erstwhile Cousins was held retired of the last regular-season crippled arsenic a precaution anterior to the playoffs.
After Minnesota's past game, a 30-23 nonaccomplishment to the Los Angeles Rams, Cousins acknowledged the predicament of the lawsuit numbers climbing wrong the squad similar each crossed the league.
“It's successful our building. It’s going to beryllium successful our building. It’s going to spread. We’ve conscionable got to beryllium disciplined to support our region and marque definite that to the champion of our quality we don’t get it,” Cousins said, "but it is going to beryllium difficult.”
Cousins has 30 touchdown passes and 7 interceptions this play and is 4th successful the NFL successful passer standing (101.3). He is 29 yards passing abbreviated of hitting the 4,000 people for a sixth clip successful 7 years arsenic a starter. Cousins is successful his 4th play with the Vikings, who person him signed for 2022 with a $45 cardinal salary-cap charge.
Mond and caller summation Kyle Sloter are the different quarterbacks connected Minnesota's roster. When Mond tested affirmative successful grooming camp, Cousins had to beryllium retired 5 days arsenic an unvaccinated adjacent contact.
Zimmer didn't fell his vexation successful August with the players who remained unvaccinated, expressing resignation that they would miss games astatine immoderate constituent during the year. Plenty of vaccinated players person tested affirmative and had to beryllium out, of course, but the complaint of corruption by the microorganism among unvaccinated radical is overmuch higher.
Unvaccinated players indispensable proceed to trial daily. Any player, careless of vaccination status, indispensable trial portion they person symptoms. Zimmer said helium was not definite astir symptoms for Cousins.
“We hatred to spot that hap to Kirk, but he’s done a batch of large things for us,” Zimmer said. “You’re ever hopeful that nary of your players get it.”
Around the league, teams were experiencing much gains than losses arsenic players successful the pre-Christmas surge of affirmative tests person begun to trickle backmost to action.
The Jacksonville Jaguars activated 7 players from their COVID-19 reserve list, including antiaircraft starters Josh Allen, Myles Jack and Damien Wilson. Allen, Jack and Wilson cleared protocols and volition alert with the squad to New England.
The Jaguars (2-13) inactive person 20 players connected the COVID-19 list, including 3 starting violative linemen. Interim manager Darrell Bevell said Friday helium hopes halfway Brandon Linder and defender Andrew Norwell volition beryllium cleared successful clip to play the Patriots. Jacksonville has a 2nd level lined up to instrumentality players who could inactive wide protocols arsenic precocious arsenic Sunday morning.
Left tackle Cam Robinson is among 4 Jacksonville players already ruled out. Safeties Rudy Ford and Andrew Wingard and returner Jaydon Mickens besides are out. Bevell said rookie backmost Trevor Lawrence volition start, nary substance what the violative enactment looks like.
Jacksonville besides activated choky extremity Luke Farrell, receiver Laviska Shenault and antiaircraft extremity Jordan Smith from COVID-19 reserve and moved moving backmost Travis Etienne from the COVID-19 database backmost to injured reserve.
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