Shelby Harris Calls Out NFL for 'Punishing' Broncos by Rescheduling Week 5 for Monday

On Thursday, the NFL informed the Denver Broncos that their Week 5 road game at the New England Patriots would be delayed 24 hours. Instead of Broncos-Patriots kicking at 2:25 MDT on Sunday, it'll begin at 3pm MDT on Monday afternoon.

The 'flex' or reschedule — whatever you'd like to call it — came in response to the COVID-19 outbreak the Patriots have suffered of late. Star players like quarterback Cam Newton and cornerback Stephon Gilmore have been quarantined, while New England has been barred from its own facilities this week in a quarantine of sorts.

In all fairness, the NFL's decision to reschedule the game was the right one. But that's not how Shelby Harris sees it. The Broncos' defensive lineman took to Twitter to question the NFL on Thursday after the news broke.

Why are we getting punished when we did nothing wrong. Pats go on a bye next week and we are stuck on a short week playing the dolphins help it make sense
— Shelby Harris (@ShelbyHarris93) October 8, 2020

"Why are we getting punished when we did nothing wrong. Pats go on a bye next week and we are stuck on a short week playing the dolphins help it make sense," Harris tweeted.

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It's an understandable criticism because the Broncos are one team that has knocked it out of the park with respect to their comprehensive and painstaking COVID-19 protocols, as well as the players' and coaches' collective resolve to abstain from 'high-risk' behavior that might inadvertently invite this virulence into their ranks. The Broncos aren't exactly being reward by the league for their discipline and good decision-making.

But frankly, the NFL had to do something. While it's unfortunate that Denver's Week 6 homestand vs. the Miami Dolphins suddenly turns into a short turnaround, the NFL has to maintain a semblance of competitive balance in response to the vagaries of COVID-19.

There is a random and arbitrary element to the contraction of COVID-19. It's possible for anyone to catch the bug while abstaining from 'high-risk' behavior. With regard to the Patriots, there's no reason to believe anyone within their organization did anything to invite the bug into their building.

The silver lining for Denver is that the extra day might give a few injured players — such as quarterback Drew Lock and tight end Noah Fant — a better chance of suiting up in Week 6. The flipside is that it also makes it more likely the Patriots get Newton and Gilmore back.

Harris and the Broncos are simply going to have to roll with the punches this year. Here's to hoping that the Football Gods can open up the windows of Football Heaven and pour the Broncos out a blessing by way of giving them back their starting quarterback for their troubles.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.

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