Chargers CB Desmond King ruled out vs. Vikings

The Los Angeles Chargers will be without their starting slot cornerback against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Los Angeles Chargers have ruled out cornerback Desmond King for the Week 15 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings for non-injury related reasons.

This is one week after linebacker Denzel Perryman and safety Roderic Teamer were sent home from Jacksonville over a missing a team meeting. The reason why King was downgraded is unknown at the moment.

King’s absence just so happens to come at the same time as wide receiver Adam Thielen returning from an injury. Thielen does the majority of his work in the slot, which is where King lines up.

King also serves as the team’s return specialist. But with him out, running back Troymaine Pope will likely resume the duties.

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Prediction poll for matchup between Chargers-Vikings in Week 15

It’s time to cast your vote on who you believe will win in the matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Minnesota Vikings.

The Los Angeles Chargers face off against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon at Dignity Health Sports Park.

The Chargers are off a 45-10 road win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, which puts them at 5-8 on the year. The Vikings enter this game off a 20-7 home victory over the Detroit Lions to move to 9-4.

Los Angeles, who was mathematically eliminated last weekend, is looking to play spoiler and show some life in the final stretch after an underwhelming season. For Minnesota, who is currently listed as the sixth seed in the NFC, they are eager to win the NFC North title.

This game could very well be an upset since the Bolts are finally healthy at nearly every position. But we’ve got Minnesota defeating Los Angeles in what we see as a shootout by the score of 24-20.

With that, who do you think will win Sunday’s contest?

Check out the poll below and let us know what you think.

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Will the Chargers-Vikings game be on in your area?

If you’re in the green area of the map, you will get the Los Angeles Chargers and Minnesota Vikings matchup.

The Los Angeles Chargers (5-8) are set to play host to the Minnesota Vikings (9-4) in Week 15 of the 2019 regular season.

If you’re in the green area on the map, you will get this matchup on CBS, courtesy of 506Sports.

Those in the red will watch the Houston Texans face off against the Tennessee Titans. In the periwinkle will be the Denver Broncos and Kansas City Chiefs. If you’re in the tangerine, you will get the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants.

Those in the aqua will see the New England Patriots take on the Cincinnati Bengals. In the gold will be the Jacksonville Jaguars and Oakland Raiders. If you’re in the purple, you will get the Cleveland Browns and Arizona Cardinals.

Greg Gumbel Trent Green will have the call.

Sunday’s matchup will begin at 1:05 p.m. PT.

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Chargers final injury report vs. Vikings

The Los Angeles Chargers and Minnesota Vikings released their final injury reports ahead of the Week 15 matchup.

The Los Angeles Chargers had their last practice of the week before taking on the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday.

Here is a look at the final injury report for both teams:

Linebacker Uchenna Nwosu is the only player whose game-time status is up in the air. Nwosu is listed as questionable with an ankle injury. He was limited all three practices.

For the Vikings, running back Alexander Mattison and safety Jayron Kearse are out. Wide receiver Bisi Johnson and cornerback Xavier Rhodes are both questionable.

Wide receiver Adam Thielen is expected to play after missing the past four games.

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Chargers’ Anthony Lynn undecided on if DT Jerry Tillery will play vs. Vikings

Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Jerry Tillery’s status is undecided for the Week 15 matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.

Chargers coach Anthony Lynn was non-committal when asked if defensive tackle Jerry Tillery will play this Sunday against the Vikings.

“I like Jerry. This is the type of game that you want Jerry on the field, so we’ll see,” Lynn said.

Tillery, the team’s first-round selection, was an inactive last weekend against the Jaguars, which raised many eyebrows.

Following the game, Lynn said that he felt Sylvester Williams was the more superior option to stopping Jacksonville’s rushing action over Tillery.

Tillery’s season has been met with mixed results. While he’s shown flashes from time to time, he just hasn’t put the pieces together to give reason to believe he was worth the first-round selection.

Even though Lynn wants to have the best players on the field, keeping Tillery off the field isn’t going to do him any good.

The rookie needs to be on the field on a more consistent basis, and they should ride with him through the ups and down in order to get a full evaluation and use the weaknesses to make strengths this upcoming offseason.

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Are the experts predicting an upset in Chargers vs. Vikings?

NFL analysts and experts have made their predictions for the matchup between the Chargers and Vikings in Week 15.

The Los Angeles Chargers (5-8) are considered 1.5-point underdogs to the Minnesota Vikings (9-4) in Week 15 of the 2019 regular season. The over/under line is set to 45.5 points, per BetMGM.

That means oddsmakers are taking bets on whether the two teams will combine to score more than or fewer than 45.5 points.

Our score prediction for the game is a 24-20 win for the Vikings, with a combined total of 44 points. So if we were putting money behind our prediction, we’d bet the under.

As for game picks, the majority of experts and analysts are rolling with Minnesota to win on the road, but this is the type of game where Los Angeles could pull off the upset, as they’re coming off a monstrous victory last weekend.

Expert	Pick
Nate Davis (USA Today)	Vikings
Mike Jones (USA Today)	Vikings
Mike Clay (ESPN)	Vikings
Sporting News	Vikings
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports)	Chargers
Jared Dubin (CBS Sports)	Vikings
Pro Football Focus	Chargers
Bleacher Report	Chargers

Sunday’s contest will begin at 1:05 p.m. PT and will be televised on CBS.

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Stopping Vikings RB Dalvin Cook is critical for a Chargers victory

Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook is going to be a tough task for the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Los Angeles Chargers are looking to play spoiler this weekend against a Minnesota Vikings team that’s eager to earn the crown as NFC North champions.

The Vikings can beat their opponents in a multitude a ways, but it’s been running back Dalvin Cook that has been the knockout punch, posting one of his best seasons yet.

There were many that believed Cook would breakout in 2019 after being hampered with injuries in his first two seasons, playing in a new zone scheme under Gary Kubiak. With durability still a concern, Cook has defied the odds.

Heading into Week 15, Cook is tied for the league lead with 13 rushing touchdowns, while ranking fourth in the NFL with 1,108 rushing yards and second with 1,611 yards from scrimmage.

Cook has really come into his own, beating opposing defenses with his power, elusiveness, contact balance and speed when the football is in hands.

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Cook has been utilized out of the backfield as a receiver quite often, where he shines in space.

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His speed is what makes him so dangerous in the screen game, making it difficult for defenders to keep pace.

Outside of being another weapon for quarterback Kirk Cousins in the passing game, he has done some amazing things on the ground.

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Cook’s power and contact balance is second-to-none. He will make defenders pay and tackling is an area that’s been a struggle for the Chargers.

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Cook’s footwork and vision are off the charts. The Chargers have to play gap sound football to make sure he doesn’t find cutback lanes.

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If the Chargers over pursue, Cook is going to notice and find openings for big gains, allowing the Vikings to control the clock.

Overall, stopping Cook isn’t going to be an easy task.

Though the Chargers run defense has been a lot better in previous weeks, especially with the return of safeties Derwin James and Adrian Phillips, Cook presents a challenge that this team hasn’t faced this season.

They can’t load the box because Cousins will eat in the passing game with wide receivers Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. The Bolts need to have gap integrity, make sure their tackling is on point and they can’t over pursue to the football.

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Not many changes to Chargers injury report for Week 15 vs. Vikings

Linebacker Thomas Davis was the only addition to the Chargers injury report on Thursday.

The Los Angeles Chargers had their second practice of the week ahead of this Sunday’s matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.

Here is a look at Thursday’s injury report:

There weren’t many changes from Wednesday’s report. The only difference is that linebacker Thomas Davis was given his weekly veterans day off. Linebacker Uchenna Nwosu and wide receiver Mike Williams remained as limited participants.

Here is a look at the Vikings’ injury report:

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5 Vikings players the Chargers must game-plan for in Week 15

Chargers Wire’s lays out five Vikings players the Chargers must game-plan for.

The Los Angeles Chargers face the Minnesota Vikings in Week 15 of the 2019 regular season.

The Vikings, who are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, have five specific players that the Bolts must really hone in on in order to pull off the upset on Sunday.

With that, here are the group of Vikings players the Chargers must game-plan for:

QB Kirk Cousins

The Vikings may have found their long term at quarterback as Cousins is playing at an elite level this season. Cousins has completed 70% of his passes for 3,274 yards and 24 touchdowns. His passer rating of 112.0 ranks second in the NFL.

Cousins hasn’t been susceptible to making mistakes as he’s only thrown four interceptions. This means that the Chargers will have to force him into mistakes by putting him under duress with defensive end Joey Bosa, who’s coming off a two-sack performance, Melvin Ingram and safety Derwin James off the edge.

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4 key things to know about Chargers’ Week 15 opponent

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lays out four things to know about the Los Angeles Chargers opponent.

The Los Angeles Chargers (5-8) are set to take on the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday, Dec. 15 at 1:05 p.m. PT.

Here are four key things to know about the Week 15 matchup:

Kirk Cousins has been red hot

Since Week 5, Cousins has totaled an NFL-best passer rating of 120.0. He leads the league with 21 touchdown passes and ranks third with 2,539 passing yards and a completion percentage of 72%. Cousins also isn’t known for turning the ball over as much as he has only thrown four interceptions this season.

Adding to the arsenal

Cousins has managed to post the majority those numbers without one of the team’s best wideouts, Adam Thielen. Thielen has been hampered by a hamstring injury since Week 7, which has forced him to watch the majority of the action from the sidelines.

Now, likely to play this weekend, Thielen provides Cousins with an extra big play threat and a reliable option on third downs opposite of Stefon Diggs, who ranks No. 10 in the league with 997 receiving yards.

Can beat you on the ground

Not only can the Vikings beat you through the air, but they’re a proven team out of the backfield. Running back Dalvin Cook’s ranks No. 4 in the NFL with 1,108 rushing yards and is tied for first with 13 touchdowns on the ground.

Hunter is going to be ready to hunt

The Vikings’ defense isn’t anything to boast about, ranking in the middle of the pack in each category. But defensive end Danielle Hunter’s contributions have benefited immensely. Coming off a three-sack performance against the Lions last weekend, Hunter is now up to 12.5 sacks on the season. He became the youngest player in NFL history to reach 50 career sacks.

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