The NFL made it 14 weeks without the COVID-19 pandemic forcing it to rearrange the schedule. However, the recent outbreaks across the league made it too difficult to continue under the original plans.
The league is finally giving in and moving three Week 15 games, according to multiple reports. The Cleveland Browns’ outbreak forced the league to make the presumably difficult decision to move that nationally telecast Saturday afternoon game to Monday. However, the league also had to move two other games from Sunday due to COVID outbreaks in both Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles.
Here are the three rescheduled games:
Monday, Dec. 20: Las Vegas Raiders at Cleveland Browns, 5 p.m. ET (per ESPN’s Adam Schefter)
–That will be followed by regularly scheduled “Monday Night Football” between the Bears and Vikings
Tuesday, Dec. 21: Washington Football Team at Philadelphia Eagles, 7 p.m. (per Schefter, Jason La Canfora)
Tuesday, Dec. 21: Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks, 7 p.m. (per Schefter, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer)
COVID cases have shot up across the country, and the NFL has been no different. The Browns, Football Team and Rams were especially hard hit.
On Thursday, the NFL made several changes to its COVID protocols, including a notable tweak to requirements for players to return upon testing positive. Fully vaccinated players can “test out” of protocol, the league announced, making it easier to return after testing positive. Those players could return quicker, which is good news for teams being hit hard right now.
As for their opponents, who might feel they’re on the wrong end of a relatively arbitrary change, that’s a different story.
