Near the close of a poor 7 days for the NFL, in terms of COVID-19 quantities spiking on multiple teams, the league postponed video games for the to start with time this season.
Saturday’s recreation between the Cleveland Browns and Las Vegas Raiders was moved to Monday. The Seattle Seahawks-Los Angeles Rams and Washington Soccer Crew-Philadelphia Eagles games ended up also moved thanks to outbreaks on the Rams and Washington. Equally of those people online games will be Tuesday. The NFL announced the adjustments on Friday afternoon.
The Raiders-Browns match will be Monday at 5 p.m. ET on NFL Network. The two Tuesday video games will kick off at 7 p.m. ET on FOX and they’re going to be on NFL Sunday Ticket.
“We have manufactured these schedule alterations primarily based on health care advice and soon after discussion with the NFLPA as we are viewing a new, highly transmissible kind of the virus this week resulting in a substantial raise in scenarios throughout the league,” the NFL claimed in the information release saying the changes. “We go on to make conclusions in consultation with medical industry experts to assure the health and security of the NFL community.”
For gamers on the Raiders, Seahawks and Eagles who are not owning substantial outbreaks, there was frustration at the NFL’s modify of heart. Raiders linebacker K.J. Wright expressed his displeasure.
The news this 7 days by no means obtained much better for the Browns. At first it was that most of their offensive line and receiver Jarvis Landry went on the COVID-19 reserve listing. Then quarterback Baker Mayfield and coach Kevin Stefanski were included on Wednesday. On Thursday, next quarterback up Situation Keenum went on the listing. On Friday, it was edge defender Jadeveon Clowney. As of Friday afternoon, the Browns had 24 players on the COVID-19 record, a few from the apply squad and three other folks who had been ruled out thanks to damage, according to Tom Withers of the AP.
Prior to Friday, whenever the NFL experienced been questioned they mentioned there was no transform to the position of the video game, the 1st scheduled Saturday game this period in the NFL. Mayfield complained about the NFL’s protocols. A lot of pointed out it would be straightforward to push the game back, even though that would leave a hole in the tv agenda on Saturday. The NFL resisted till Friday afternoon, when shortly just before the Raiders had been scheduled to just take off, Dan Graziano of ESPN reported the NFL and NFLPA were getting conversations about shifting the game.
The Browns ended up not the only crew dealing with an outbreak. The Rams and Washington also experienced far more than 20 players go on the reserve listing. There was news from other groups all over the league, like New Orleans Saints mentor Sean Payton tests good and becoming dominated out of this week’s video game in opposition to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was a reminder of 2020, when the information cycle was dominated by information of players going on and coming off the reserve/COVID-19 listing. There was reportedly even a disagreement between gamers and the union more than COVID-19 protocols these kinds of as screening and quarantines, in accordance to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.
In 2020, many games have been moved. There have been game titles held on every single day of the week for the initially time in NFL background. There hadn’t been any video games moved this time as a result of 14 months simply because there was no substantial team-extensive outbreak. The NFL resisted shifting any games in Week 15 until Friday. The league mentioned in a memo over the summer season that online games would not be moved or postponed because of to aggressive motives, like a group getting rid of a number of gamers at a posture group. It did depart open the possibility if there were being health care considerations.
This 7 days seemed like a repeat of 2020 in the NFL, in a couple of ways.
