The New England Patriots now know when they’ll be playing next week.
New England’s Week 5 matchup with the Denver Broncos, originally set for this Sunday, has been rescheduled to next Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium, the NFL announced.
The league initially moved the game to Monday evening earlier this week, then pushed it to Week 6 after Patriots defensive tackle Byron Cowart reportedly tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday.
Cowart is the fourth New England player to land on the reserve/COVID-19 list since last Saturday, joining quarterback Cam Newton, cornerback Stephon Gilmore and practice squad D-tackle Bill Murray.
The Patriots were set to have their bye next weekend. The Broncos were not. So, in order to facilitate this particular date change, the NFL needed to alter the schedules of six different teams.
A total of seven games were affected:
— Broncos at Patriots moves from Week 5 to Week 6
— New York Jets at Miami Dolphins moves from Week 10 to Week 6
— Jets at Los Angeles Chargers moves from Week 6 to Week 11
— Jacksonville Jaguars at Chargers moves from Week 8 to Week 7
— Chargers at Broncos moves from Week 11 to Week 8
— Chargers at Dolphins moves from Week 7 to Week 10
— Dolphins at Broncos moves from Week 6 to Week 11
The NFL also announced Sunday it was shifting next week’s Kansas City Chiefs-Buffalo Bills game from Thursday night to Monday night. The Bills are set to face the COVID-ravaged Tennessee Titans this Tuesday.
Dizzy yet? Wondering why the league wouldn’t simply create a Week 18 rather than upending the plans of a half-dozen different franchises? Us too.
Here are the full details of each date/time change:
