All four Thursday Night Football games so far this season have been one-sided affairs, with the winning team outscoring their opponents by a total margin of 163-50. The underdog Vikings will look to keep tonight’s game against the rejuvenated Packers close, but they may have to do so without their starting quarterback. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported earlier today that signs were pointing to Teddy Bridgewater being unavailable tonight, while Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Minnesota will make a decision on its QB 90 minutes before kickoff tonight.
If Bridgewater can’t go, the Vikings will turn to Christian Ponder, who was third on the depth chart and was being frequently mentioned as a trade candidate just a few weeks ago.
As we wait to see which signal-caller gets the nod for the Vikes tonight, here’s more from around the NFC:
- Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett has made it clear to his players that they won’t be allowed to play in games if they’re involved in a domestic violence incident, even before the legal process is finalized, writes Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. “If you’re dealing with anything off the field and we can help with, we’re here for you,” Garrett said. “Having said that, there are standards that we have about all off-the-field behavior and certainly domestic violence applies to that. We’re just very clear with how we’re going to handle things.”
- Pointing out that Cowboys special-teamer C.J. Spillman continues to practice and play for the team despite being under investigation for sexual assault, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News says he expects Garrett makes a distinction between an allegation and an actual charge. So far, police say Spillman “is involved in a sexual assault investigation,” but no charges have been filed and no arrests have been made.
- Conor Orr of NJ.com points to the Giants‘ under-the-radar signing of cornerback Zackary Bowman as one key move that has helped shape the team’s defense off the field.
- Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker has taken a lot of heat this season, but Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times says that GM Phil Emery hasn’t provided him with enough talent. Morrissey notes that defensive end Lamarr Houston, one of Emery’s big offseason signings, has struggled so far and has yet to register a sack through four games.
- Saints wide receiver Marques Colston purchased a piece of the Arena League’s Philadelphia Soul and is now part owner of team, Ron Jaworski tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Zach Links contributed to this post.