The NFL has had its first COVID-19 outbreak, with several Tennessee Titans players and staff members coming down with the virus. Now with the Titans’ Week 4 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers unable to happen, the NFL has adjusted the Baltimore Ravens’ schedule to make it all work.
According to a press release from the NFL, they’ve adjusted the schedule to make things work. Both the Titans and Steelers will now have their bye weeks this week and have the matchup rescheduled for Week 7. Unfortunately, Pittsburgh was supposed to play the Ravens that week, which has now been rescheduled a week later, moving Baltimore’s bye week a week earlier.
That’s all pretty convoluted and confusing, so let’s just talk about how it impacts the Ravens’ schedule . . .
- Baltimore’s bye week moves from Week 8 (Nov. 1) to Week 7 (Oct. 25).
- The Ravens will now play the Steelers in Week 8 (Nov. 1 at 1:00 p.m ET).
While this is unfortunate, it actually works out in Baltimore’s favor. They’ll get a week of rest before taking on Pittsburgh. Meanwhile, the Steelers will have to play the Titans and Ravens back-to-back weeks.
It’s an interesting decision by the NFL here. While moving around the schedules is a bit of a mess, they aren’t forcing any team to forfeit or skip a game. However, adjusting the schedule of three teams for one franchise’s outbreak is a tough ask for the two that have stayed healthy. It’s also something the NFL can’t do forever as bye weeks are quickly approaching, leaving them with fewer chances to adjust the schedule if another outbreak happens.
Check out the revised schedule below:
