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The Thanksgiving game between the Ravens and the Steelers was switched to Sunday afternoon due to coronavirus concerns with Baltimore.
The NFL announced the move on Wednesday, placing the game at 1:15 p.m. EST on NBC. Previously, it was slated for prime-time NBC telecast on Thanksgiving Day.
Baltimore has placed outside linebacker Pernell McPhee in reserve / COVID-19, joining running backs Mark Ingram and JK Dobbins and defensive tackle Brandon Williams. The Ravens also did virtual teamwork.
The Ravens said later on Wednesday they had sanctioned a staff member, apparently a strength trainer, for failing to obey league protocols.
“We appreciate the NFL for its diligence in working closely with us to ensure the well-being of players, coaches and staff of the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers organizations,” the Ravens said in a statement.
“Protecting the health and safety of each team, in addition to our communities in general, is of the utmost importance. We will continue to follow the advice of the NFL and its medical experts as we focus on safely resuming preparations for Sunday’s game.
The game – assuming it’s played on Sunday – means the Ravens will trade a short week for another. They are scheduled to play in Dallas on Thursday, December 3.
There will be no fans allowed for the Ravens game.
This isn’t the first time the Steelers have been forced to adjust their schedule due to COVID-19 issues with their opponents. Their trip to Nashville on October 4 to face the Titans turned into an unexpected week off when Tennessee was hit by an outbreak.
The tweak forced the Steelers to play 13 straight weeks to end the regular season. They had hoped for at least a mini-break by playing Thanksgiving – the franchise’s very first home game in Pittsburgh during the holidays – and then taking the weekend off before starting the home streak.
Instead, they find themselves adapting on the fly once again.
Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster wasn’t exactly thrilled with the development.
“First the NFL is taking our week off because another team can’t recover from their Covid situation, now they’re taking our prime-time Thanksgiving game away from us for the same reason. Smh, ”he posted on social networks.
The silver lining for Smith-Schuster is that it gives him a few extra days for the right leg which he altered during an abnormal play in Jacksonville – when he twisted his leg after stepping on a flag from penalty – to prepare for the Ravens.
Coach Mike Tomlin praised his team’s ability to stay light to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic as part of their success. The Steelers were struck by their own fear of COVID-19 earlier this month when tight winger Vance McDonald tested positive following a win over Dallas, forcing quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and a handful of teammates to quarantine before facing the Bengals. Roethlisberger ended up playing and throwing four touchdowns in an easy win.
Roethlisberger shrugged on Tuesday when asked if it was fair for the Steelers to face the Ravens without Baltimore being able to practice as a precaution.
“It’s just an unusual year in terms of everything we have to do, everyone has to do. We saw it early on, obviously, with the Titans game, goodbye, all those kinds of things, ”he said. “What are you going to do? You just have to do what they tell you and go play ball.
In addition, the Cleveland Browns have been training in teams and keeping players away as a precaution while dealing with a new round of COVID-19 issues.
The team has temporarily closed its headquarters in Berea, Ohio, after starting linebacker Sione Takitaki tested positive on Wednesday. Before revealing Takitaki’s identity, the Browns conducted a contact tracing to see if other players were exposed to the second-year linebacker, who returned an interception for a touchdown in Sunday’s victory over the Eagles from Philadelphia.
As an added safety measure, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski worked his offense and defense separately inside the team’s indoor playing field, which is also used as a weight room due to protocols. COVID.
It has become the norm in Cleveland.
“We started out with online meetings and had to make schedule changes and everything on the fly so it’s nothing new to us,” said quarterback Baker Mayfeld. “The next man mentality that we want to be on, no matter who is there, we want to be able to go out there and perform. Whether it’s COVID or injury like you said, you never want to have it, but you have to deal with it, especially this year.
Takitaki is the fifth Cleveland player to be on the COVID list. He will miss Sunday’s game in Jacksonville with star defensive end Myles Garrett, who also missed the win over Philadelphia after falling ill last week.
Stefanski did not provide any details on Garrett’s condition, but said there is a possibility the 24-year-old, who has 9.5 sacks, could return for the Dec.6 game against Tennessee.
Stefanski said fullback Andy Janovich and defensive end Joe Jackson would also miss this week’s game. Offensive lineman Chris Hubbard has a chance of being activated from the COVID list this week, Stefanski said.
It has been a constant and familiar pattern for the Browns, who have had to shut down their headquarters several times in recent weeks to seek contact as the virus continues to wreak havoc in the NFL and the country.
“The guys are adapting, they’re flexible,” Stefanski said. (Offensive Coordinator) Coach Van Pelt showed a photo of Stretch Armstrong this morning, and that’s what we are, and that’s what we need to be.
Other NFL teams are also dealing with COVID-19:
– The Jacksonville Jaguars will be without three defensive coaches this weekend due to COVID-19 testing and contact tracing.
Coach Doug Marrone has said defensive coordinator Todd Wash, defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich and defensive assistant Dwayne Stukes will not be available against the Browns. Rebrovich missed last week’s game against Pittsburgh because of coronavirus protocols.
Marron and assistant special teams coordinator Mike Mallory will lead the defense in practice this week.
On Sunday, high school / safety coach Joe Dana will call defense coach and assistant linebacker coach Tony Gilbert will coach the defensive line. Assistant Tyler Wolf will take over Gilbert’s responsibilities from the coaches stand.
– The Cincinnati Bengals have added wide receiver Auden Tate and offensive lineman BJ Finney to the reserve / COVID-19 roster. The team fired cornerback Winston Rose to the COVID-19 roster training squad. The Bengals host the New York Giants on Sunday.
– The Indianapolis Colts have placed Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner on the reserve / COVID-19 list. Buckner won’t be able to play on Sunday, leaving Indy without his best run for a showdown with Tennessee. The loss could be particularly damaging as the Colts will face Derrick Henry, the 2019 league racing champion and league leader this season.
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AP Pro football editor Barry Wilner and sports writers Mike Marot, Tom Withers and Will Graves contributed.
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More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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