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Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins tests positive for COVID-19

photos -jpgby:Ashton Pollard•12/31/21•

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Kirk Cousins
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins has tested positive for COVID-19, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Since he is unvaccinated, he will miss Sunday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers this weekend.

Minnesota’s No. 2 signal caller, Sean Mannion, was activated off the COVID-19 reserve list on Friday morning. He is expected to start on Sunday.

Mannion has been in the NFL since 2015, and he has played for the St. Louis and Los Angeles Rams plus the Vikings. Over five years of his career, Mannion has played in 13 games with two starts, completing 60.8% of his passes for 384 yards and no touchdowns. The Bay Area native played college football Oregon State from 2011-2014, and he was drafted by the Rams in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft.

Minnesota’s other quarterbacks are Texas A&M rookie Kellen Mond and Kyle Sloter.

Cousins has thrown for 3,971 yards, 30 touchdowns and seven picks this year. He currently ranks in the top 10 in the NFL in both yardage and touchdown passes.

The Vikings are on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. They sit in the No. 8 spot with a 7-8 record, while the Packers are the No. 1 seed at 12-3. They boast the best record in the NFL.

The Vikings-Packers game kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC. The Packers are currently a 6.5-point favorite.

Vikings’ Thursday injury report

The Vikings got good news regarding a few of their stars on Thursday. Running back Dalvin Cook was cleared to return to the team after the changes to the COVID-19 protocols.

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“I wish this rule would have come out last week,” Cook said Wednesday, via the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “So I could have come back earlier, but it didn’t. I’m just glad everything worked out that I’m back this week.”

The CDC changed the isolation guidelines for those who test positive and are asymptomatic from 10 to five days. Cook was limited in practice on Wednesday and was a full participant on Thursday.

After not practicing on Wednesday, Pro Bowl safety Harrison Smith was a full participant at Thursday’s practice. He is dealing with foot and shoulder issues.

Did not practice: CB Cameron Dantzler (calf)

Limited participant: LB Chazz Surratt (illness), TE Tyler Conklin (hamstring)

Full participant: S Harrison Smith (foot/shoulder), FB C.J. Ham (hamstring), RB Dalvin Cook (illness), RB Knee Nwangwu (hamstring)

Additionally, the Vikings placed linebacker Nick Vigil on the COVID-19 list on Thursday.