Vikings in London: Final injury report for Saints matchup, "Skol bus" mania spotted at King's Cross

AP -- Saints quarterback Jameis Winston will not play in New Orleans' game against the Minnesota Vikings in London because of a back injury, the team confirmed on Saturday.

Andy Dalton is set to start Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the NFL's first international game of the season.

Winston's status was downgraded from doubtful to out. The team signed quarterback Jake Luton to the active roster from the practice squad.

Versatile tight end/quarterback Taysom Hill also took reps this week behind Dalton, who started for nine seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals.

On Friday, coach Dennis Allen said: "Our plan right now is to have Andy ready to go."

In other moves, the Saints waived fullback Adam Prentice and elevated tight end J.P. Holtz and running back Latavius Murray from the practice squad to the active roster.

Winston this week said he was preparing to play against the Vikings, though he didn't practice. He has thrown for 858 yards with four TD passes and five interceptions in three games. He has completed 63.5% of his passes.

Dalton started nine games for the Cowboys in 2020 after Dallas starter Dak Prescott's season-ending ankle injury. Dalton completed 64.9% of his passes that season, throwing for 2,170 yards with 14 TDs and eight interceptions.

Last season, Dalton appeared in eight games and made six starts for the Chicago Bears, completing 63.1% of his passes for 1,515 yards with eight touchdowns and nine interceptions.

The Minnesota Vikings released its final injury report Friday before Sunday's game in London. 

According to the team, rookie cornerback and second-round pick Andrew Booth Jr. is doubtful -- he's missed the last two games with a quad injury. 

Outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith is questionable after a knee injury during last Sunday's game. Head coach Kevin O'Connell says he's a game-time decision. 

A few other notable players who have been nursing injuries -- running back Dalvin Cook, safety Harrison Smith and linebacker Eric Kendricks -- were not designated and are expected to be available Sunday. 

A Minnesota Vikings bus was spotted at King's Cross in London ahead of the team's matchup against the Saints. 

The Vikings also tweeted from the "Skol bus."

Legendary former Vikings wide receiver Cris Carter was spotted enjoying the pub on Thursday, too. 

(AP) -- Vikings safety Harrison Smith passed his post-concussion tests and returned to practice this week after missing last week's game. His return will be a big boost to an otherwise-young secondary, facing a Saints team that's eighth in the NFL in passing with an average of 261.3 yards per game.

Outside linebacker Za'Darius Smith was held out of practice on Wednesday with a knee injury, putting some question around his status.

Running back Dalvin Cook has a shoulder injury that makes his availability unclear, with Alexander Mattison at the ready to be the main ball carrier if Cook can't play.

"It helps our offense to know that Alex is in there and can handle not only the run game, but protections and can do so much for us, and we don't have to skip a beat," quarterback Kirk Cousins said. "So it's a big asset."

An injury report is expected Friday, so check back here for that. 

LONDON (AP) - Saints quarterback Jameis Winston is "doubtful" to play New Orleans' game against the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium because of a back injury, coach Dennis Allen said Friday.

Backup Andy Dalton took first-team snaps again with Winston missing a third consecutive practice.

"I think it's doubtful that Jameis plays in the game," Allen said. "Our plan right now is to have Andy ready to go. We'll see how things go overnight, but Andy will be ready to go if that's the direction that we go."

Winston has been playing through a back injury but was held out of practice all week ahead of the NFL's first international game of the season. The eighth-year quarterback also is nursing an ankle injury.

"I don't think his body responded didn't quite the way we anticipated over the first couple of days," Allen said.

Earlier in the week, Winston said he was preparing to play against the Vikings.

Allen also confirmed that wide receiver Michael Thomas will miss Sunday's game because of a foot injury. He leads the team with three touchdown receptions.

Winston has thrown for 858 yards with four TD passes and five interceptions in three games. He has completed 63.5% of his passes.

Dalton stepped in to start nine games for the Cowboys in 2020 after Dallas starter Dak Prescott's season-ending ankle injury in Week 5. That season, Dalton completed 64.9% of his passes, throwing for 2,170 yards with 14 TDs and eight interceptions.

The Saints are Dalton's fourth team in as many years after he spent his first nine seasons as a starter for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Last year, Dalton appeared in eight games and made six starts for Chicago, completing 63.1% of his passes for 1,515 yards with eight touchdowns and nine interceptions.