For the second time in a matter of days, the Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers matchup has been pushed back due to coronavirus issues.
What started as the primetime Thanksgiving game was moved to Sunday afternoon as the Ravens deal with a COVID-19 outbreak that counts star QB Lamar Jackson among its numbers. On Friday, the NFL announced it would again move the game, this time to Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m.
“These decisions were made out of an abundance of caution to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel and in consultation with medical experts,” the league said in a statement released Friday.
In addition, Baltimore’s Week 13 game against the Dallas Cowboys — slated for Thursday, Dec. 3 — will now be part of a “Monday Night Football” doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. on Dec. 7.
That could put Jackson on track to be cleared to play the Cowboys.
The Steelers announced on Friday that they placed three players on the reserve/COVID-19 list: defensive end Stephon Tuitt, defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs and offensive tackle Jerald Hawkins.
NFL teams have been dealing with a spate of coronavirus issues — on Friday alone, the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Rams canceled practices due to concerns around testing.
The Ravens’ recent outbreak has seen multiple players test positive — Jackson, running backs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins, center Matt Skura, guard Pat Makari and defensive end Calais Campbell among them — with a strength and conditioning coach disciplined for not following league protocols.
“We just want to contain this outbreak!” Campbell tweeted on Friday. “Speaking from experience… you don’t want to catch covid! This virus is brutal! I pray no one else has to go thru this. This is bigger than football.”
