The Vikings announced Monday that they have placed WR Adam Thielen on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
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Vikings place star WR Thielen on COVID-19 list
The Vikings announced Monday that they have placed WR Adam Thielen on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
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Vikings place star WR Thielen on COVID-19 list
Bears coach Matt Nagy said he is turning over offensive playcalling duties to coordinator Bill Lazor for Monday night’s game against the Vikings.
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Bears’ Nagy hands over playcalling duties to OC
The Jaguars signed kicker Chase McLaughlin off the Vikings practice squad and expect him to kick Sunday against the Packers.
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McLaughlin set to be 6th Jags kicker this season
The Vikings will be without cornerbacks Cameron Dantzler, Holton Hill and Mark Fields for their game Sunday against Detroit.
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Vikings down three cornerbacks against Lions
Due to injuries, the Lions will be without top receiver Kenny Golladay, safety Tracy Walker and Jamal Agnew on Sunday against the Vikings.
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Lions without Golladay (hip), 2 more vs Vikings
( CBS Chicago ) — The NFC North is looking a little messy going into Week 9. The Green Bay Packers still hold the division lead, but they’re coming off a loss to the last-place Minnesota Vikings. The Chicago Bears dropped their second in a row, this time to the New Orleans Saints on an overtime field goal. And the Detroit Lions were overwhelmed by the Indianapolis Colts. The Packers could extend their division lead moving into a relatively easy second half of the season. That is, assuming they play, given all the COVID issues surrounding the team and their opponent. Things could get still messier, with the Bears lurking and an intra-division matchup for third place. CBS Chicago sports anchor Steve Zahn gives his picks for Week 9 in the NFC North. All times listed are Eastern. Green Bay Packers @ San Francisco 49ers, Thursday, November 5 @ 8:20 (FOX) The Packers have a few issues heading into this week’s matchup with the 49ers. For starters, the game is scheduled for Thursday night, which gives both teams a short week. Also, multiple players will miss the game for reasons related to COVID, including running backs Jamaal Williams and A.J. Dillon. Starter Aaron Jones is already nursing a calf injury that has him questionable should the game be played on Thursday. The injury-riddled 49ers have COVID issues of their own. The team had to shut down its practice facility Wednesday after a positive test. It has since learned that offensive tackle Trent Williams and wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Kendrick Bourne have all tested positive and will miss the game. San Francisco will also be without starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and tight end George Kittle. Stream your local NFL On CBS game live with CBS All Access. The 49ers will probably look to focus on the run, despite their limited success last week. The Packers didn’t have an answer for Dalvin Cook in Week 8. The Vikings running back picked up 226 yards from scrimmage and found the end zone four times. Maybe they’ll have better luck against a 49ers run game that’s struggled at times this season. On the other side of the ball, the Packers will likely rely on Aaron Rodgers to carry them, as they have so many times before. The future Hall of Famer already has 20 TD passes on the season and is averaging close to 280 yards passing per game. The game may depend on how he performs against a 49ers pass defense that’s been a little hit-or-miss of late. Chicago Bears @ Tennessee Titans, Sunday, November 8 @ 1:00 (FOX) The Bears have injuries and COVID issues of their own, with offensive lineman Germain Ifedi and Jason Spriggs on the COVID-19 list. Bobby Massie is already out until Week 13 and Cody Whitehair has also been sidelined. That doesn’t leave much in the way of an offensive line, especially with reserves also affected. “If we’re going to talk about this game, the big question we have to start with is who’s going to be on the offensive line for the Chicago Bears,” wonders Zahn. “Obviously they’re dealing with injuries, they’re dealing with COVID issues. So it could be a big problem, especially with Nick Foles back there, who’s not exactly the most mobile quarterback in the world. This is going to be a big challenge for the Bears.” > > MORE: Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 9: Damien Harris Settling Into Lead Back Role For Patriots Teams with offensive line issues tend to focus on the run. But the Bears have been among the NFL’s worst rushing teams this season, averaging only 85.6 yards per game. “They haven’t been able to run the ball, even when their O-line is healthy,” Zahn notes. “Their offense hasn’t been very good, even when their O-line is healthy. The Titans don’t have a great defense themselves. But, for the Bears, I think this is going to be a challenging week for them to get anything done offensively. It’s going to be on the Bears defense to try to do something.” Unfortunately for the Bears, their middling run defense will be facing the NFL’s rushing leader. Derrick Henry, who fuels the Titans ground game, is averaging 110.7 yards per game and 4.8 yards per carry. Both the Bears and the Titans have lost their last two games. According to Zahn, “the way their offensive line is shaping up right now, I do not see this current Bears team going into Tennessee and beating them.” Detroit Lions @ Minnesota Vikings, Sunday, November 8 @ 1:00 (CBS) This is yet another game affected by COVID. Lions QB Matthew Stafford went on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday, putting his status for Sunday’s game in question. He could become available on Sunday, but he would still miss the week of practice and preparation. That ultimately may not matter for the experienced veteran. But his absence would surely have implications for the game. “This is an interesting one as well, because we just had news that Matthew Stafford is on the reserve COVID-19 list,” says Zahn. “Of course, he could still play in the game. Assuming Matthew Stafford does play for the Lions, I actually kind of like the Lions in this matchup. The Vikings obviously coming off that huge win over the Green Bay Packers, where Dalvin Cook ran wild. But the Lions are sort of a sneaky team. They have talent. They’ve been in the lead in some of those games. I think that they’re actually a little bit better than their record is.” > > READ: Rowdy Gaines: ‘Team USA Swimming Has Been #1 In The World Since 1956, No Other Sport Can Claim That Excellence’ Dalvin Cook has been tearing it up for much of the season. The Vikings running back, and the NFL’s second-leading rusher, picked up 163 of his 226 total yards on 30 carries. It was his third 100-yard game of the season, and he has since been named NFC Offensive Player of the Week . The Lions defense hasn’t had that much success against the run on the season, allowing 130 yards per game. But they’ve been decent the last few weeks. The Vikings, of course, don’t have much else going for them besides Cook. And their defense, especially given their thin secondary , will likely struggle to slow down Stafford, should he play. “These are two pretty equal teams,” says Zahn. “I’m going to say the Lions actually go in and get this win over the Vikings, coming off their big surprising win over the Packers.”
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NFL Week 9 NFC North Picks: ‘I Do Not See This Current Bears Team Going Into Tennessee And Beating Them,’ Says CBS Chicago’s Matt Zahn
Clancy Barone and Andrew Janocko will share Vikings’ O-line coaching duties as Mike Zimmer stayed in-house with replacements after the death of Tony Sparano.
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Vikes name co-OL coaches to replace Sparano
Kirk Cousins has been learning the playbook, and now he’s transitioning to becoming a leader on the Vikings.
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Cousins transitions to being Vikings leader
The Vikings have begun the process of moving forward as the team opens up training camp less than a week after the death of offensive line coach Tony Sparano.
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Vikings open up training camp with heavy hearts
Kirk Cousins’ Vikings are one of 22 teams to kick off camp. Catch up with what’s happening across the league.
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The NFL is back: Here’s the best from Wednesday at training camps
MIAMI (CBSNewYork/AP) — Tony Sparano once beat Bill Belichick with the single wing, but wasn’t as old as that made him sound. Sparano was only 56 when he died unexpectedly Sunday. The Minnesota Vikings announced his death in a statement that did not provide a cause. He had been the Vikings’ offensive line coach since 2016. Sparano also served as offensive coordinator for the New York Jets in 2012, replacing Brian Schottenheimer under head coach Rex Ryan. Our deepest condolences are with Coach Sparano’s family and the entire Vikings organization. https://t.co/vsd2Rb7ij0 — New York Jets (@nyjets) July 22, 2018 The most memorable moment in Sparano’s 19-year NFL coaching career came in 2008, when he was a rookie head coach with the Miami Dolphins, inheriting a team that had gone 1-15 the previous season. In Week 3 he surprised Belichick with a single wing-style formation that the Dolphins called the wildcat, and they won at New England 38-13. The wildcat became a fad around the league, and the stunning upset propelled Sparano’s team to 11 wins and the AFC East title. It’s one of two playoff berths for the franchise since 2002. That was Sparano’s lone winning season, and he was fired in 2011 after going 29-32 in Miami. He was popular with his players, but a dismal home record, declining attendance and a falling-out with general manager Jeff Ireland accelerated his firing by owner Stephen Ross. Sparano was the Oakland Raiders’ interim head coach in 2014 after the team fired Dennis Allen, and he went 3-9. He also worked as an assistant for the Browns, Redskins, Jaguars, Cowboys and 49ers, and most recently for Vikings coach Mike Zimmer. “I love Tony Sparano,” Zimmer said in a statement. “He was a great teacher, a grinder of a worker and had a toughness and fighting spirit that showed in our linemen. He was a great husband, father and grandfather and a great friend to me. This is just sinking in for us, but Tony will be sorely missed by all.” Giants Head Coach Pat Shurmur worked with Sparano for the past two years in Minnesota. Coach Pat Shurmur shares his thoughts on the passing of Tony Sparano. pic.twitter.com/6BXPdQcaxv — New York Giants (@Giants) July 22, 2018 “We both showed up at the same time,” Shurmur said in a statement. “We were the new guys, we quickly became friends and it didn’t take long for me to realize and respect what a good person and good coach he was.” Sparano’s former players also paid tribute. “Heart broken and lost for words! We lost a great man,” tweeted Brian Hartline, who played receiver for Sparano in Miami. “Damn I’m at a loss for words,” tweeted Raiders Pro Bowl tackle Donald Penn. “Coach Sparano taught me so much not just about football about life also.” Sparano played at the University of New Haven where he was a four-year letterman. He was hired as New Haven’s head coach in 1994 and held that position for five seasons. In Miami, Sparano lost his first two games before turning to the wildcat. Six times they ran plays from the formation at New England, snapping the ball directly to running back Ronnie Brown, and four of those plays resulted in touchdowns. “It was like playing hide and go seek, making them guess,” Brown said at the time. Sparano said the Dolphins began practicing the wildcat during training camp but waited until the Patriots game to spring it. “This is not something that just came up and we scribbled on the board a couple of days ago,” the coach said. Defenses soon adjusted, and a sputtering offense in Sparano’s final two seasons at Miami contributed to his firing. But the Dolphins haven’t won at New England since the wildcat game. “We were saddened to learn of Tony Sparano’s tragic and unexpected passing,” owner Ross said in a statement. “Tony made an indelible impact on our team’s history. His toughness, grit and leadership were evident to everyone who had the chance to coach with or play for him.” (© Copyright 2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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Ex-Jets Offensive Coordinator Tony Sparano Dies At 56
Defensive end Danielle Hunter, who has 25.5 sacks in three seasons, has agreed to a contract extension with the Vikings.
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DE Hunter agrees to extension with Vikings
Former Vikings QB Case Keenum gave a whiteboard demonstration of the “Minneapolis Miracle” to Broncos fans, detailing what happened on the play.
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Keenum: Diggs not 1st option on ‘Miracle’ finish
The late Dennis Green will be inducted into the Vikings’ Ring of Honor at halftime of Minnesota’s game against the Bills on Sept. 23 at U.S. Bank Stadium.
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Vikings to induct late Green into Ring of Honor
The Vikings quarterback had an otherwise productive day and will try to close out the minicamp on a positive note.
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Kirk Cousins looks to shake off 2 red zone picks, end upbeat