Chiefs add Hill to growing virus list
Another 21 NFL players were placed on the reserve/covid-19 list Tuesday, including Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill, cornerback Rashad Fenton and tight end Blake Bell.
They were among nine players, including two on the practice squad, who joined tight end Travis Kelce and kicker Harrison Butker on Kansas City’s growing list.
The Chiefs also have Charvarius Ward on the list, which means two of their top three cornerbacks are in the league’s virus protocol, along with defensive tackle Chris Jones, linebacker Willie Gay Jr. and wide receiver Josh Gordon.
Linebacker Nick Bolton, offensive lineman Kyle Long, right tackle Lucas Niang and safety Armani Watts also were added to list Tuesday.
Another receiver on an AFC contender tested positive as well when the Buffalo Bills placed wideout — and the team’s most vocal vaccine critic — Cole Beasley on the reserve/ COVID-19 list, leaving his status uncertain for a key showdown with first place in the AFC East on the line at New England on Sunday.
Buffalo could now be minus two starting receivers after Emmanuel Sanders missed this past weekend’s win over Carolina because of a knee injury.
Beasley, who was fined by the NFL last summer for failing to wear a mask inside the team’s facility, threatened to retire in June over how the league’s COVID-19 protocols specifically targeted unvaccinated players.
In July, Beasley opened training camp by saying he’s not anti- or pro-vaccination, but pro choice, in criticizing the NFL for failing to provide transparent information about making a choice to get vaccinated. In doing so, he contradicted coach Sean Mcdermott for saying the team has done everything possible to educate its players.
For the Chiefs, Jones,
Gay and Gordon tested positive last week and missed Thursday night’s win over the Chargers. There’s a good chance the trio could return two negative tests and be available for this week’s game against the Steelers.
Kelce, Butker and Ward tested positive on Monday, when the Chiefs began to return from their long weekend. The team did not have any formal meetings or practice until Tuesday and will begin game preparation in earnest on Wednesday.
Together, Hill and Kelce have half of the Chiefs’ receptions and more than half of their yards receiving this season.
Raiders edge Browns on FG
Daniel Carlson’s 48-yard field goal as time expired sent the Las Vegas Raiders to a 16-14 road win Monday night over the Covid-19depleted Cleveland Browns in a game pushed back two days by the NFL amid an uptick of virus cases across the league.
Down by a point, quarterback Derek Carr patiently drove the Raiders (7-7) into Cleveland territory in the final two minutes. Then Carlson shrugged off being iced by the Browns
to boot his winner, keeping Las Vegas in the playoff mix.
The Raiders, who weren’t happy when the league delayed their visit, danced off their sideline when the kick went through.
The loss was devastating for the Browns (7-7), who would have vaulted into first place in the AFC North with a win. Instead, they fell into last place in the tightly packed division with three games remaining.
Due to a virus outbreak, the Browns were without quarterback Baker Mayfield, coach Kevin Stefanski and several other prominent players.
Cleveland’s third-string quarterback Nick Mullens had given the Browns a 14-13 lead by throwing a 6-yard touchdown pass on fourth down to Harrison Bryant with 3:45 left.
Cousins, Vikings get past Bears
Kirk Cousins threw two touchdown passes and the Minnesota Vikings beat the struggling and short-handed Bears 17-9 on Monday night in Chicago.
The Vikings (7-7), part of a tight pack of teams vying for one of the NFC’S seven playoff spots, were in line for their most lopsided win before Justin Fields threw a touchdown pass to Jesper Horsted on the game’s final play.
The final play aside, Minnesota withstood several scoring threats by Chicago down the stretch coming off a tight win over Pittsburgh in which they nearly blew a 29-0 lead.
Given the state of the Bears (4-10), the result was hardly a surprise. Chicago lost for the eighth time in nine games, and with 14 players on the reserve/ COVID-19 list, that seemed inevitable. Receiver Allen Robinson was on it, as was the starting secondary.