Washington BREAKING: COVID Forces NFL to Postpone Game at Eagles
The NFL is postponing a trio of Week 14 games, including Washington vs. Philadelphia, because of the COVID breakout among some teams.
The WFT game against the Eagles is moving from Sunday to Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET on FOX, all part of the COVID-19 problem that just saw starting quarterback Taylor Heinicke added to the WFT reserve/COVID-19 list on Friday.
Raiders at Browns now will be played Monday night at 5 p.m. ET. And Seahawks at Rams is switched to Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. The NFL's amended schedule means we now have games on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday - games on eight of the next 10 days.
With 22 players now in COVID protocols, and more positive tests coming up every day for Washington, the problem exists now. With Week 14 postponed, questions linger: How does the shift assure that players will be more healthy three days later? A month from now? A year from now?
When would a game be rescheduled that would come with any guarantee of improved roster health? What of "competitive balance'' if it comes to a team playing two games in one week, or in enduring the ramifications of a simply canceled game?
What if Dallas ends up winning the NFC East due to forfeit? Or, at least this: With the WFT playing on Tuesday at Philadelphia and then playing again, on the road, just a few days later on Sunday at Dallas .. well, that's "competitive imbalance.''
The immediate thinking: Playing and engaging with another team opens the door for a "spreader'' situation. Arguably, that could be too much for the NFL to risk. So the league is trying to lower the risk, with other games also on the move.
By the way, Dallas' foe this week, the Giants, now have seven defensive backs in COVID protocol. So, the impact is ... everywhere.
Before the 2021 season, the NFL told organizations it wouldn't go as far as it did in 2020 to reschedule or move games for COVID-19 afflicted teams.
In fact, if things got really bad for a team or two during the year, it would opt to have a franchise forfeit game(s) in lieu of rearranging schedules like it did in the pre-vaccine days of professional football.
Last year, when the Tennessee Titans had 23 members of its organization hit with the virus, the NFL took advantage of the fact it happened in Week 4 and moved things around.
The Titans did play the Pittsburgh Steelers eventually, only weeks later than originally intended.
Twice, the league postponed games in 2020 for the New England Patriots. Once when quarterback Cam Newton tested positive, and again when cornerback Stefon Gilmore was impacted.
Now, the Washington Football Team has 22 members of its roster on its list. To go from rearranging schedules in 2020, to doing nothing in 2021, would not seem to represent the shift in protecting organizations the way the league proclaimed it was aiming to do.
This year is different. The show will go on ... but the show will have hitches.
