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The NFL is in the middle of a widespread uptick in cases of COVID-19, and because of that, several games have been postponed this week to Monday or Tuesday.
The Cleveland Browns have placed more than 20 players on the COVID-reserve list in the last week, including more than a dozen being key starters. Quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Case Keenum, and head coach Kevin Stefanski are among the team personnel sidelined with the virus.
The NFL has made it clear that it will not postpone games because of competitive disadvantage, USA Today reported. But the high number of players sidelined could cause safety risks.
So …
Monday, 5 p.m. ET: Raiders at Browns.
Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET: Vikings at Bears.
Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET: Washington at Eagles.
Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET: Seahawks at Rams.— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) December 17, 2021
Cleveland is scheduled to play a Christmas Day game at Green Bay on Saturday, so moving its game to Monday compresses the next week of preparation for Cleveland.
All these moves brought back memories of last season when the NFL moved a couple of Sunday afternoon games into national windows because of outbreaks. It even played a postponed Thanksgiving game on the following Wednesday afternoon, the L.A. Times reported.
A former newspaper veteran, Keith Farner is a news manager for Saturday Down South.
