NFL Announces Punishment for Vikings Player in Loss to Eagles
It’s been a rough last few days for the Minnesota Vikings. Not only are they on a two-game losing streak, but one of their players will be light in their wallet due to an incident in their Week 7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
On October 25, the NFL released the Week 7 Gameday Accountability fines for player infractions. The fine schedule is agreed upon by both the NFL and NFLPA and provided to all players before the season begins.
Players cited for a violation have the right to appeal. Appeals are reviewed by officers, including former NFL players Derrick Brooks, Ramon Foster, or Jordy Nelson, who are jointly appointed and compensated by the NFL and NFLPA.
For the Vikings, the player who was given a fine was linebacker Ivan Pace for unnecessary roughness after using his helmet on a play in the fourth quarter at the 1:57 minute mark. As a result, the league is fining Pace $5,759 for that incident.
Can the Vikings Turn Their Situation Around?
The fine isn’t the end of the world for the Vikings. Still, it just piles on the challenging few days for Minnesota. After losing in Week 7 to the Eagles, they opened Week 8 with a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers
Nonetheless, Wentz isn’t worried about the sub-.500 record, expressing confidence that the team will rebound as they gear up for their Week 9 clash with NFC North rival, the Detroit Lions.
“I just know the guys in that locker room,” Wentz told reporters postgame on October 23. “I know the guys; I know the coaches; I’ve still only been here for a short period
“I have a lot of confidence in the guys. Hopefully, we can keep getting some guys back healthy, all that stuff. This was a short week. This was a tough one. We just didn’t have it tonight. The NFL is weird. It’s hard to win, hard to be consistent. So at the end of the day, just turn the page and go attack it next week.”
Vikings Face Major Hurdle Amid Losing Streak
Meanwhile, the Vikings have several areas of their game that need work as they head into Week 9. O’Connell didn’t sugarcoat the result, openly acknowledging that the Chargers were better across the board.
“We got outplayed,” O’Connell said (h/t Pro Football Talk). “We got outcoached; we did not — there are no excuses. Injuries, short week, whatever it is, that is not in any way, shape, or form our standard of what we want to put on the field, and we’ve got — as I told our team — we’ve got an opportunity in front of us where we need to own this.
“This is not a bury the tape kind of time for our organization. This is a ‘watch it, view it, own it’. Every coach, every player. And it starts with me. I did not have our team prepared to play.”
Bears Get More Bad News on Kyler Gordon Before Ravens Game
The situation with cornerback Kyler Gordon has gone from bad to worse for the Chicago Bears ahead of Week 8’s road matchup with the Baltimore Ravens.
Gordon popped up on the injury report Thursday after injuring both his groin and calf in practice and spending the day’s session as a limited participant. The Bears then held him out entirely from Friday’s walkthrough before ruling him out for Week 8’s game.
Things grew worse Saturday when the Bears officially placed Gordon on the injured reserve list, meaning he will miss at least the next four games for Chicago’s defense.
The Bears will now play at least their next four games — including Sunday’s road game against the Ravens — without two of their top cornerbacks. Pro Bowl starter Jaylon Johnson underwent core-muscle surgery in September and is out indefinitely on IR.
The Bears also won’t have their other perimeter starter, Tyrique Stevenson, available against the Ravens. Stevenson injured his shoulder early in Week 7’s win over the New Orleans Saints and sat out every practice this week before the team ruled him out.
The Bears (4-2) will kick off against the Ravens (1-5) at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Losing Kyler Gordon Could Cripple Bears’ CB Room
With Gordon now out for a minimum of four games, the Bears are severely depleted at the cornerback position because of injuries and could remain that way for some time, depending on how much time Stevenson winds up missing with his shoulder injury.
The Bears will count Nahshon Wright, Nick McCloud and Josh Blackwell as their top three cornerbacks when they face the Ravens on Sunday. They will also have Jaylon Jones and practice-squad elevation Dallis Flowers available as backups, though the lack of high-level playing experience across the board raises some alarm bells for them.
On the plus side, the Bears won’t have to deal with two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson after the Ravens announced Saturday that he will miss his third straight game with his hamstring injury. The Ravens will start backup Tyler Huntley (11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 26 career games) in his place — a better matchup for Chicago.
Even still, the sudden depletion of depth could force the Bears to consider their options for improving their cornerback room — such as signing a vet — in the coming weeks.
Bears Also Shut Down Braxton Jones With Knee Injury
Gordon is not the only Bear who landed on injured reserve before Week 8’s game.
The Bears also placed offensive tackle Braxton Jones on injured reserve Saturday with a knee injury. He was a limited participant in Wednesday’s first practice before the team downgraded him to a non-participant for the final two sessions to close out the week.
Jones lost his job as the Bears’ starting left tackle when the team benched him for Theo Benedet midway through Week 4’s win over the Dallas Cowboys, but he still provided the Bears with valuable depth and experience at the position before his new injury.
The injury is also likely to diminish — if not completely wipe out — any trade interest Jones may have garnered before the NFL trade deadline at 4 p.m. ET on November 4.
In a corresponding roster move, the Bears signed defensive tackle Jonathan Ford from the practice squad to the 53-man roster after elevating him in each of their past three games. Ford has played 36 defensive snaps this season, but he is less likely to see any playing time now that veteran Grady Jarrett (knee) has been cleared to play again.
