Sir Purr
Well-known member
- Mar 16, 2019
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SHORTHANDED ON BOTH SIDES
The Panthers will be without cornerback Donte Jackson again this week as they try to let his problematic toe injury heal.
The Vikings could have an equivalent absence on the other side of the ball.
Wide receiver Adam Thielen has been on the reserve/COVID-19 list since Monday, and reports suggested he might not be cleared in time to play this week.
He had a huge game last time out, with eight catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns last week against Dallas. His 11 touchdown receptions are a league-high, as he's become Cousins' go-to target after they traded Stefon Diggs to the Bills this offseason.
Thielen has been especially dangerous in the red zone, with 10 of his touchdowns coming inside the 20-yard line.
The Vikings can still be effective on offense, especially with the way running back Dalvin Cook has performed this year, but being without Thielen would be a major blow.
GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN
The Panthers are on a bit of a roll against teams that employ the franchise's original coach, Dom Capers.
The 70-year-old Capers, who coached the Panthers from 1995-98 and led the expansion team to the NFC Championship Game in its second year, now works as a senior defensive consultant with the Vikings.
The Vikings are his seventh team since he left Charlotte, including long stints as the Texans' head coach (2002-05) and the Packers' defensive coordinator (2009-2017).
The last three times they've seen Capers, the Panthers have won, including last year's game against Jacksonville and the 2015 and 2017 games against the Packers. He had won the previous four meetings with the Panthers (1999 with the Jaguars, 2003 with the Texans, and 2011 and 2014 with the Packers).