Vikings Place QB Kirk Cousins on COVID List, So He's Out for Sunday Night vs. Packers
Vikings starting quarterback Kirk Cousins tested positive for COVID-19 and will miss the team's biggest game of the season. Cousins heads to the COVID list just two days before the Vikings take on the Packers at Lambeau Field with their season on the line.
This is truly unfortunate timing for something that was always a possibility this year, given that Cousins is unvaccinated and previously missed a chunk of time during training camp. The Vikings (7-8) need a victory in Green Bay to keep their playoff hopes alive, and that was already going to be awfully difficult against Aaron Rodgers and the 12-3 Packers, owners of the NFL's best record.
Without Cousins, it'll take a miracle.
For all of the discussion he generates as a polarizing quarterback because of his statistics, win-loss record, and salary, Cousins is exponentially more talented than any other QB the Vikings have. He has put up impressive numbers this season even as the wins haven't come at the rate he was hoping. Through 15 games, Cousins is completing 66.4 percent of his passes for 3,971 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions. He has a passer rating above 100 for a third consecutive season.
Without Cousins, the Vikings are expected to start veteran Sean Mannion against the Packers. He was just activated off the COVID list on Friday morning, less than an hour after Cousins went on the list. Mannion is a 2015 third-round pick of the Rams who has started just two games in his career. Across 13 lifetime appearances, mainly those two starts, he has thrown for 384 yards with 0 touchdowns and 3 picks. Mannion's one previous start for the Vikings came in a meaningless Week 17 games against the Bears two years ago, where he threw two interceptions in a loss.
The Vikings also have rookie Kellen Mond and recently-signed Kyle Sloter, who used to be a cult hero in Minnesota because of his preseason success. There's no doubt that Mannion has the most experience and knowledge of that trio, but there will likely be fans who would prefer to see Mond or Sloter because at least it might be entertaining.
The bottom line of this news is that the Vikings' playoff hopes are now essentially well below 1 percent. Unless Dalvin Cook and the Vikings' defense go crazy at Lambeau to help Mannion, they have no shot at winning this game. And if the Eagles beat Washington earlier that day as well, the Vikings will be eliminated from the playoff race.
The role that Cousins' decision to not get vaccinated plays in all of this should not go overlooked. Yes, vaccinated players have also ended up on the COVID list this year, but the unvaxxed are statistically more likely to do so. By not getting vaccinated, Cousins didn't do everything he could to decrease his likelihood of missing games.
This is what Mike Zimmer was worried about back in August when his team was one of the least vaccinated in the NFL: key starters missing crucial games. It has happened with Harrison Smith, Dalvin Cook, and Dalvin Tomlinson, and now it's happening with the star quarterback who became the face of the Vikings' vaccination issues.
Cousins' durability throughout his career has been remarkable. Since becoming a starter in 2015, he has never missed a game due to unavailability. That changes this weekend in what was previously an opportunity for him to save the Vikings' season with a sweep of the Packers.
Now the season is likely over, and one has to wonder if the Cousins era in Minnesota is almost over too.
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