Coronavirus Presence Felt in Week 12 of the NFL Season
By: Daniel Velasquez
The winter weather has set in and Covid-19 cases are surging. Records regarding the virus are being set in the United States. The Covid-19 numbers for the NFL are not any better.
The league is having trouble containing the virus and is setting records for positive tests resulting in teams being ravaged and the league schedule being shuffled multiple times. Week 12 of the NFL was a busy one as it was one Covid-19 newsbreak after another, largely surrounding the Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers, and Baltimore Ravens.
Nov. 28, the 49ers were boarding a plane for their road game against division rival Los Angeles Rams, when they received news of Santa Clara county’s newest Covid-19 restrictions which ban contact sports. The 49ers will not get any special treatment.
They will not be able to host any home games at Levi’s Stadium or host any team practices in Santa Clara. The team will temporarily host home games at State Farm Stadium, home of their division rival the Arizona Cardinals. They will host the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 7 and the Washington Football Team on Dec. 13 at State Farm Stadium.
Backup quarterback Jeff Driskel tested positive for the Coronavirus and was placed on the reserve/Covid-19 list on Nov. 26. The NFL notified the Bronco's that their three remaining quarterbacks Drew Lock, Brett Rypien and Blake Bortles were all deemed high-risk Covid-19 close contacts.
NFL protocols mandated that they undergo a five-day quarantine which made them ineligible for Sunday’s game versus the New Orleans Saints. The Broncos were left without a quarterback, and as a last resort, they promoted practice squad receiver Kendall Hinton, who last played quarterback at Wake Forest in 2018.
The Broncos were unable to bring in a free agent quarterback for their matchup versus the Saints due to Covid-19 protocol which mandates a player signed via free agency undergo a 10 day quarantine. Hinton struggled, he only completed one of nine pass attempts for 13 yards and two interceptions.
The Broncos would go on to lose 31-3 falling to 4-7. Lock, Rypien and Bortles will be eligible for their next scheduled game versus division rival and defending super bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs.
The Ravens' Covid-19 outbreak was reminiscent of the one that hit the Tennessee Titans earlier this season where they had six straight days of positive Covid test and a total of 24 confirmed cases.
Many wondered when they would see another inevitable Covid-19 breakout of that magnitude, and it came week 12 of the NFL season. The Ravens had ten straight days of positive Covid tests spanning from Nov. 22 to Dec. 1. The positive tests caused their Thanksgiving matchup versus their undefeated division rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers to be rescheduled three times.
The virus sidelined some of the Ravens best players which included reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson and pro bowlers Mark Andrews, Mark Ingram, Matthew Judon and Calais Campbell. The Ravens went on to lose the game 14-19. Barring anymore positive Covid test, the Ravens will host the Dallas Cowboys on Dec. 8 a game that was originally scheduled for Dec. 3.
As of right now, it looks like the NFL is planning on pushing through the regular season. It will interesting to watch the season play out and if the league will take any measures if these massive outbreaks become a common occurrence.