In this most unprecedented season, one of the hardest tasks for the NFL has been managing the rescheduling of games due to Covid. The NFL has already rescheduled more than a dozen games due to positive Covid cases. This is not a task the NFL is very familiar with but Roger Goodell and the rest of the league have been determined to play out every game on the schedule. The most recent change in scheduling occurred between the Steelers and Ravens which was a game set to be played on Thanksgiving night (11/26) at primetime but due to a Covid outbreak in the Ravens organization the game was postponed various times. The Ravens reported that over 20 members tested positive. This is the largest outbreak on an NFL team since the Titians in week 4 which also led to a postponement against the Steelers.

This really hindered the Ravens’ chances of knocking off their undefeated division rivals as they were missing reigning MVP, Lamar Jackson, along with 5 pro bowlers (DE Calais Cambell, TE Mark Andrews, OLB Matthew Judan, RB Mark Ingram, and FB Patrick Ricard). To make matters worse Baltimore hadn’t had a full practice since November 20th prior to the game. They ultimately scheduled the game to be played on Wednesday, December 2nd at 3:40 ET. The game was set to be played in the afternoon because NBC wanted to honor the previous scheduling of the 88th Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lighting ceremony that night. Only in 2020 would we see an NFL game played at 3:40 on a Wednesday afternoon. In fact, this is the first NFL game on Wednesday since the 2012 season opener which was scheduled then to avoid conflict with President Barrack Obama’s speech at the Democratic National Convention on that Thursday.

With this postponement, the Steelers week 13 game that was initially set to be played on Sunday against the Washington Football Team will be played on Monday at 5 pm ET, and the Ravens’ Week 13 game that was supposed to be played on Thursday night (12/3) was moved to Tuesday, December 8th, at 8:05 pm ET. I believe that the NFL has done a good job of managing the obstacles this season has presented and ensured that every team gets adequate rest each week so they can get through the grueling 16 game season.

 

Written by: Patrick Russell

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