NFL Weighs Options for Ravens-Steelers Week 12 Matchup
Matchup was already postponed from Thanksgiving night.
OWINGS MILLS, Md, — The recent outbreak of COVID-19 cases among the Ravens, including reigning MVP Lamar Jackson, has forced the NFL to scramble and find a safe time for their Week 12 game against Pittsburgh.
About a dozen players and staff in Baltimore have tested for the virus over the last five days.
As a result, the Ravens game against the Steelers scheduled for Thanksgiving night has already been pushed back to Sunday at 1:15 p.m.
Now, there are questions about whether the game can even be played at that time because of the lingering uncertainty surrounding Baltimore.
There are essentially three options on the table:
- The game could proceed as planned and the Ravens would have to promote several practice squad players to fill out the roster. In addition to Jackson, Baltimore would have to compete without several key players including running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram, nose tackle Brandon Williams and outside linebacker Pernell McPhee, centers Matt Skura and Patrick Mekari, defensive end Calais Campbell and outside linebacker Jihad Ward.
- The game could also be moved back to Monday or Tuesday, but this would impact the Ravens' upcoming Thursday night game against the Cowboys. The NFL could also push back the matchup against Dallas for later in the weekend. The league has also considered adding a Week 18 to deal with potential COVID-19 cases.
- The Ravens could be forced to forfeit the game, which would be unprecedented and likely the least likely option. The NFL and the teams would lose considerable revenue for a canceled game and there would be questions about how such an action disrupts the competition/seeding for the playoffs. Pittsburgh (10-0) is currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC for the postseason. The Ravens(6-4) are just on the outside of the race. In addition, none of the players would be paid for the forfeited game, which also makes that scenario unlikely.