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Minnesota Vikings cornerback Kris Boyd will have to step up on Monday night when the Vikings visit their NFC North rival Chicago Bears in a must-win primetime matchup.
Boyd is the first backup to starting trio of Patrick Peterson, Mackensie Alexander and second-year corner Cameron Dantzler, who is expected to take over for Bashaud Breeland, who Minnesota released on Saturday following an altercation at practice.
Boyd, a third-year corner, is known for his fiery persona on the field that has sometimes led to absent-minded behavior.
The Vikings’ lowest-graded cornerback by Pro Football Focus (PFF) with a 37.4 defensive grade, Boyd will need to keep his head on straight against the Bears, especially after receiving a fine for what proved to be a costly taunting penalty against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 14.
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Boyd Fined Nearly $5000
On Saturday, Pioneer Press reporter Chris Tomasson said that Boyd was fined $4,874 by the NFL for unsportsmanlike conduct, per a source.
The penalty came with the Vikings leading 29-0 late in the third quarter in a game that should have been settled. Boyd wrapped up James Washington for a two-yard loss on second-and-10. After the play, Boyd pumped his arms, standing over Washington, which the officials deemed a taunting penalty.
It gave the Steelers a fresh set of downs instead of backing them up to third-and-12. Ben Roethlisberger took advantage, leading his team to their first touchdown of the night and breathing new life on the Steelers sideline.
What followed was one play away from becoming one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history — and the Vikings were on the embarrassing end, allowing the Steelers to score 28 points and nearly force overtime had Harrison Smith not broken up a potential game-tying score in the end zone as time expired.
Boyd’s actions were not well-received by his teammates and coaching staff.
After Boyd was flagged for taunting, team captain Anthony Barr shoved him for the extracurriculars.
Safety Xavier Woods essentially kicked Boyd off the field to allow second-year corner Cameron Dantzler to play instead. Boyd then got an earful from head coach Mike Zimmer and co-defensive coordinator Andre Patterson.
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Vikings CB Depth an Issue
Facing rookie quarterback Justin Fields and the Bears’ league-worst 176.5 passing yards, the Vikings cornerbacks corps have an opportune time to find their new form without Breeland.
Dantzler, the team’s highest-graded cornerback by PFF with a 69.8 defensive grade this season, should see the majority snaps in Breeland’s stead.
However, Beyond Dantzler, there’s little in-game experience on defense. This season, Boyd has 92 snaps across five games, 68 of which came in a Week 9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Other than that game, Boyd has mainly been an emergency fill-in, playing 12 or fewer defensive snaps in every other game this season.
Second-year cornerback Harrison Hand, a 2020 fifth-round pick, has played just one defensive snap this entire season.
Meanwhile, Minnesota activated fifth-year veteran Tye Smith on Monday, who has been on the practice squad for most of the season. He’s played in just two games this season in a limited special teams role.
Here’s a breakdown of the Vikings’ cornerbacks performance entering Week 15:
| Player | Targets | Receptions | Yardage | TDs Allowed | PFF Grade | QBR |
| Patrick Peterson | 43 | 27 (62.8%) | 358 | 3 | 61.4 | 112.4 |
| Bashaud Breeland* | 85 | 59 (69.4%) | 795 | 6 | 47.2 | 112.6 |
| Mackensie Alexander* | 60 | 41 (68.3%) | 473 | 3 | 43.7 | 108.5 |
| Cameron Dantzler | 40 | 22 (55.0%) | 221 | 2 | 69.8 | 77.2 |
| Kris Boyd | 19 | 14 (73.7%) | 188 | 2 | 37.4 | 139.8 |
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