The NFL and NFLPA have agreed to postpone the Cleveland Browns’ game against the Las Vegas Raiders game to Monday.
The game will be played at 5 p.m. ET as a part of a Monday night doubleheader with the Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears already scheduled for 8:20 p.m. ET.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Rams’ game versus the visiting Seattle Seahawks and the Washington Football Team’s game at Philadelphia have both been moved to Tuesday because both Los Angeles and Washington have 20-plus COVID cases.
Washington-Philly and Rams-Seahawks will kick off at 7 p.m. ET.
“We have made these schedule changes based on medical advice and after discussion with the NFLPA as we are seeing a new, highly transmissible form of the virus this week resulting in a substantial increase in cases across the league,” the NFL said in a statement.
The Browns have placed more than 20 players on the COVID-reserve list in the last week. More than a dozen of those players are key starters. Quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Case Keenum, and head coach Kevin Stefanski are all sidelined with the virus.
The NFL has made it clear that it will not postpone games because of competitive disadvantage. But the high number of players sidelined could cause safety risks.
It’s possible that the Browns could receive reinforcements within the next couple days because the NFL’s protocols for return to action (updated this week) allow players to test out of quarantine sooner than the standard 10-day window. Any vaccinated player or coach who is asymptomatic and able to produce two negative tests taken at the same time can return to action as long as their viral levels are below the threshold that would make them contagious.
In the last week, more than 100 players league-wide have tested positive for COVID-19. The Browns, Rams and Washington all have more than 20 positive cases.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL moves three games to Monday and Tuesday because of high COVID cases
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