At 7-7, the Minnesota Vikings are in the midst of a battle for an NFC playoff spot along with a multitude of other teams in a similar situation. To say that every game is a must-win from here on out would be an understatement. And the last thing they need is to be without their star players.
However, that appears as though it will be the case when they host the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Per Ian Rapoport, running back Dalvin Cook has been placed on the COVID-19 list.
According to The Athletic’s Chad Graff, it is presumed that Cook is unvaccinated and, if so, he cannot come back in time for Sunday.
It would be a huge loss for Minnesota as Cook has 1,288 total yards and six touchdowns on the season, and seems to be peaking with his 205-yard performance against the Steelers two weeks back.
The team will presumably look to Alexander Mattison to handle the bulk of the rushing efforts. Mattison, who returned from COVID protocols earlier this week, has 432 yards and two touchdowns on the year. The good news for the Vikings is that, in the three games he started this season while Cook was injured, Alexander rushed for over 100 yards in two of them.
Regardless, there were plenty of big reactions on social media amongst NFL folks about the news.
https://twitter.com/OTR2Victory/status/1474072597440741393
We’ll see if the Vikings can get it done without Cook in this critical game, especially given how the Rams are also playing for their own playoff positioning.