Josh Johnson joined the Ravens 10 days ago, and the well-traveled quarterback started his first game in 1,092 days with first place in the AFC North on the line Sunday at Cincinnati.
The Chargers didn’t have outside linebacker Joey Bosa, running back Austin Ekeler, receiver Mike Williams and center Corey Linsley when they faced the Texans. The Vikings were missing running back Dalvin Cook for their matchup against the Rams.
Blame COVID-19.
Several other teams also were missing key players on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
As the NFL’s regular season winds down, expect more teams to play important games without some of their starters because players continue to test positive despite the league’s revised protocols requiring less testing.