You get an NFL game. You get an NFL game. Every day gets an NFL game!
A rise in the number of positive COVID-19 tests in the NFL mirroring the spike in cases around the country has wreaked havoc on the late-season schedule. There will be a game played on every day of the week over the course of December — instead of the traditional Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays — now that Ravens-Steelers was rescheduled from Thanksgiving to today and subsequently Ravens-Cowboys was rescheduled to next Tuesday.
But commissioner Roger Goodell isn’t going to pause the season.
“It’s a remarkable achievement to reach this point and we are proud of our players and all personnel for their tireless work and commitment,” Goodell said. “Like our teams, we are focused on finishing strong.”
If a COVID-19 vaccination is approved for use in the United States, the NFL will not cut to the front of the line in terms of availability, according to the league’s chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills.
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images“We have been discussing for the past weeks how we would proceed in the postseason,” Goodell said. “We’re continuing to evaluate the kinds of changes we might want to make coming into the postseason. They do present different challenges. . . . We’re considering a number of alternatives to meet those challenges. All options are on the table.”
Well, not all options. The MLB, NBA and NHL all went to a neutral-site bubble for the playoffs.
“We feel strongly our protocols are working. I don’t see us doing a bubble in the sense that I think a lot of the media focuses on it,” Goodell said. “We may look at ways to reduce the risks to our personnel – whether it is players, coaches or other personnel – that would limit exposures.”
Despite all the postponements that have happened during the season as a result of outbreaks on the Ravens and Titans, the Broncos were forced to play Sunday against the Saints with practice-squad wide receiver Kendall Hinton at quarterback because Jeff Driskell tested positive and all other quarterbacks were deemed high-risk close contacts.
Goodell reiterated a previous stance that the NFL is not going to cancel games for competitive reasons, only for safety and health concerns. The assessment was the virus was contained within the Broncos.
