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The NFL Week 5 schedule won’t happen as planned amid more COVID-19 chaos.
The Patriots vs. Broncos game has been postponed to next Sunday, after the Patriots had a new COVID-19 positive Sunday morning. The game had already been pushed to Monday at 5 p.m. after cornerback Stephon Gilmore tested positive midweek. The Broncos were supposed to play the Dolphins next Sunday, but that game has been rescheduled to Week 11.
The Titans also had a new positive case Sunday. Facilities for both teams were shut down Sunday morning. The Titans’ game vs. the Bills was previously pushed to Tuesday at 7 p.m. There were no other positives around the NFL Sunday morning, according to multiple reports.
A slew of NFL games have been rescheduled to make everything work. This Thursday’s scheduled Bills-Chiefs game has been moved to next Monday at 5 p.m.; the Jets’ Week 10 game against the Dolphins has been moved to Week 6, and the Jets’ Week 6 game against the Chargers has been shifted to Week 11; The Jaguars-Chargers game moves from Week 8 to Week 7; the Chargers-Broncos game from Week 11 moves to Week 8 and Chargers-Dolphins moves from Week 7 to Week 10.
Defensive tackle Byron Cowart is the latest Patriots player to test positive, according to multiple reports.
Cam Newton was the first Patriot to test positive on Oct. 3. He missed last week’s rescheduled game vs. the Chiefs and remains on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The Patriots also had practice-squad defensive tackle Bill Murray test positive. The Patriots had returned to their practice facility on Saturday after shutting down on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Titans are still dealing with more cases after a teamwide outbreak led to the postponement of their Week 4 game against the Steelers. They’ve had 24 positive tests since Sept. 24, including 13 players.
“This morning we learned that a staff member tested positive. We have temporarily closed our facility and are in communication with the league on the next steps,” the Titans said in a statement.
The Titans had returned to their facility Saturday for the first time since Sept. 29. The NFL and NFLPA have been investigating whether the team violated the league’s COVID-19 protocols.
