Cardinals coach Kingsbury still out with COVID
Linebacker Chandler Jones was back at the Arizona’s practice facility on Friday. Coach Kliff Kingsbury was not.
The undefeated Cardinals are still sifting through COVID-19 issues as they prepare to face the Houston Texans on Sunday. Arizona’s trying to push to 7-0 for the first time since 1974.
Kingsbury, quarterbacks coach Cam Turner, Jones and defensive linemen Zach Allen and Corey Peters all missed last week’s 37-14 win over the Cleveland Browns after testing positive on the virus. So far, only Turner and Jones have returned.
Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said Kingsbury is “getting better by the day” and the team is still hoping he’d be cleared by Sunday. Joseph added that if Kingsbury’s not available, the Cardinals would go with a similar plan as last week’s game in Cleveland, where Joseph was in charge of the defense and assistant receviers coach Spencer Whipple called the offensive plays.
Kingsbury has been able to handle all the meetings virtually from his home.
“The plan that we have on that side of the ball is Kliff’s plan, even with the virtual stuff,” Joseph said. “It’s like he’s in the room with us. Nothing’s changed from a prep standpoint.”
Jones was out for more than a week after being put on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Oct. 12. The 31-year-old edge rusher had five sacks in the season opener against the Tennesee Titans, which earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Kingsbury said last week that Jones was experiencing symptoms from the virus. It’s unclear if he’ll play against the Texans.
“We’re just gauging his physical nature, basically to see how much he can play or if he can play,” Joseph said. “He’s here, he’s smiling, he’s in good spirits. We’ll see how it works out.”
The Cardinals have a quick turnaround after Sunday’s game. They’ll host the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night.
ELSEWHERE
A49ers:
Jimmy Garoppolo
made it through the week of practice completely healthy and will start at quarterback Sunday for San Francisco but the 49ers could be missing left tackle Trent Williams. Garoppolo left a game against Seattle on Oct. 3 with a injured calf and missed the following game. But he was able to heal during the bye week and coach Kyle Shanahan said he is 100% heading into the game against the Colts.
Rookie backup quarterback Trey Lance will miss the game with a sprained left knee but is expected back next week.
Browns: Quarterback Baker Mayfield also is dealing with a broken bone in his injured left shoulder but believes he can play with it, a person familiar with his health told The Associated Press. Mayfield hopes the injury improves enough over the next few days that he can face the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 31, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. Mayfield didn’t play Thursday night against Denver, ending his streak of 53 consecutive
Astarts for the banged-up Browns.
Ravens: Baltimore has ruled out running back Latavius Murray and receiver Sammy Watkins for Sunday’s game against Cincinnati. Murray has an ankle injury from last weekend’s win over the Chargers. Watkins missed that game and still has a thigh issue.
ATitans: Left tackle Taylor Lewan will not play against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday as he recovers from a concussion. The Titans also declared that wide receiver Chester Rogers, who ranks second in the NFL averaging 13.3 yards per punt return, and linebacker Monty Rice won’t play.
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