While the Vikings are among the league leaders in how many players they’ve placed on the COVID-19/Reserve list this year, their Week 15 opponent has their own issues regarding that.
Chicago, Minnesota’s opponent on Monday night, placed six more players on the COVID-19/Reserve list on Thursday. The Bears added tight end Jesse James, linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe, wide receiver Allen Robinson, safety Eddie Jackson, running back Ryan Nall, and practice squad wide receiver Isaiah Coulter to the list. Robinson missing time would be a huge setback for the Bears offense.
Additionally, Chicago has tackle Larry Borom, defensive end Mario Edwards, nose tackle Eddie Goldman, cornerback Artie Burns, offensive tackle Elijah Wilkinson, and practice squad linebacker Sam Kamara on the list. The Bears have 12 players in total who are in COVID-19 protocol.
The Vikings have seven players on the list. Minnesota has wide receiver Dede Westbrook, running back Alexander Mattison, wideout Dan Chisena and defensive end Danielle Hunter, the last of whom was announced via the NFL transactions wire, on COVID-19/Reserve. Also, the Vikings have the following practice squad players on the list: wideout Trishton Jackson, guard Kyle Hinton and running back A.J. Rose Jr.
With Rose and Mattison both possibly unavailable for Monday, the Vikings will need running back Dalvin Cook to step up. Kene Nwangwu might need a bigger role on offense, too.