Given the rapid spread of COVID-19 and his unvaccinated status, it seemingly was just a matter of time before Kirk Cousins tested positive.
Unfortunately for him and the Minnesota Vikings, that’s exactly what happened — and at the worst possible time. Cousins has been added to the COVID-19 reserve list and because he’s unvaccinated, he won’t be able to return for the Vikings’ massive Sunday night matchup with the Green Bay Packers, per multiple reports.
As for who might start for Minnesota on Sunday, that’s a bit of a mess.
The Vikings currently are on the outside looking in at the NFC playoff field at 7-8. However, winning their final two games of the season certainly would have helped, but a tough task — winning at Green Bay on Sunday night — now just became far more difficult as the 11-3 Packers still have plenty to play for in their quest for the NFC’s top seed.
The New York Times’ playoff simulator gives Minnesota a 64% chance to make the playoffs if they’re able to win the final two games of the season. A loss in Green Bay on Sunday night, however, would drop those chances to 3%.
Cousins’ reluctance to get the COVID-19 vaccine has been a hot-button topic dating all the way back to August. He had to sit out four practices before the season because he was a high-risk close contact. He even suggested he might build a plexiglass fortress for himself in the Vikings’ quarterback room in an effort to protect himself.
Whatever Cousins did, it worked for most of the regular season. But the virus finally caught up to him, and it might ultimately cost his team its season.
