The NFL will add another day to its calendar dominance this week, as the COVID-19 pandemic has postponed the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens game until Tuesday.
According to ESPN, Ravens wide receiver Willie Snead IV’s positive coronavirus test Sunday gave the team at least one positive test for eight straight days. The continued positives have caused the game to be postponed twice, first from Thanksgiving night until Sunday and then again from Sunday until Tuesday.
As of Sunday evening, the Ravens will be without seven offensive starters, including quarterback Lamar Jackson, for Tuesday’s game and the Dec. 7 game against the Dallas Cowboys.
ESPN’s Field Yates reported that the Ravens now have 22 players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
The news comes amid rising COVID-19 issues within the NFL. According to USA Today, Denver Broncos safety Kareem Jackson said his team was made an example of by being forced to play without a quarterback on Sunday. With quarterbacks Drew Lock, Brett Rypien and Blake Bortles quarantining due to being deemed close contacts, the Broncos used practice squad wide receiver Kendall Hinton under center.
The 23-year-old Hinton, a quarterback at Wake Forest before transitioning fully to receiver, completed 1 of 9 passes for 13 yards and two interceptions in Sunday’s 31-3 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
"I feel like maybe (the game) could have been moved, but at the same time, maybe the league was making an example of us as far as maybe not doing the things we needed to do in that particular room, that quarterback room,'' Jackson said after the loss. "Obviously, the guys didn't follow their protocols, and for (the NFL) to see that, I guess they felt like they had to make an example, so at the end of (the) day, it is what it is.
"Obviously, it's our guys' fault for not wearing their masks, but at least maybe move the game to the next day or whenever so we're given a fighting chance. (It is) obviously disappointing. I'm not sure why it wasn't moved. I have no clue ... as a competitor, (it is) definitely frustrating.''
