Cardinals place WR Christian Kirk on COVID-19 reserve list
Jan 2, 2021, 4:02 PM | Updated: 7:20 pm
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Christian Kirk (13) is hit by San Francisco 49ers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon during the first half of an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
The Arizona Cardinals will go into their must-win Week 17 game against the Los Angeles Rams without one of their top receiving options.
Wide receiver Christian Kirk was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list, the team announced Saturday.
Kirk has 48 receptions for 621 yards and six touchdowns this season. He broke out over the four-game stretch between Weeks 5 and 9, recording 324 receiving yards and five touchdowns, but has averaged just 31 yards and failed to reach the end zone in the games since.
The Cardinals will rely more on pass catchers like DeAndre Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald and Dan Arnold, plus Kenyan Drake and Chase Edmonds out of the backfield.
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Arizona also elevated linebacker Terrance Smith, cornerback Jace Whittaker and defensive lineman Stacy McGee to the active roster from the practice squad.
McGee, who appeared in Week 12, was activated as a standard elevation.
Smith and Whittaker were activated as COVID-19 replacements. Smith has played in two games this season and Whittaker has played in four.
The game against the Rams will decide which team will make the playoffs. If the Cardinals win, they will either be the sixth or seventh seed. If they lose, they will not make the postseason.
Kickoff is Sunday at 2:25 p.m. Listen live at 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station.
