Cousins gets COVID at worst time for Vikes

Kirk Cousins has never missed a game in the NFL to injury.

His first unplanned absence, due to COVID-19, could not have come at a worse time for the Minnesota Vikings.

The Vikings placed their starting quarterback on the COVID-19 reserve list Friday, two days before their most important game of the season at Green Bay.

Cousins, who is unvaccinated, couldn’t be cleared in time to play even if he were feeling fine. The NFL recently reduced the required quarantine period to five days for asymptomatic players.

The Vikings (7-8) are one game out of the last wild-card spot in the NFC with two weeks to go.

The Packers (12-3) are in control of the top seed and a first-round bye.

The Vikings activated backup quarterback Sean Mannion from the COVID-19 reserve list, putting the seventh-year veteran in line to start at frigid Lambeau Field on Sunday night. Rookie Kellen Mond, who was drafted in the third round, has not developed quickly enough this season to be considered.

After Minnesota’s last game, a 30-23 loss to the Rams, Cousins acknowledged the predicament of the case numbers climbing within the team like all across the league.

“It’s in our building. It’s going to be in our building. It’s going to spread. We’ve just got to be disciplined to keep our distance and make sure that to the best of our ability we don’t get it,” Cousins

said, “but it is going to be difficult.”

Cousins has 30 touchdown passes and seven interceptions this season and is fourth in the NFL in passer rating (101.3). He is 29 passing yards short of hitting the 4,000 mark for a sixth time in seven years as a starter. Cousins is in his fourth season with the Vikings, who have him signed for 2022 with a $45 million salary-cap charge.

Coach Mike Zimmer didn’t hide his frustration in August with the players who remained unvaccinated.