KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ If you're a Chiefs fan, chances are you felt a tremor or a shudder on Wednesday morning when New England's Stephon Gilmore tested positive for COVID-19 less than 36 hours after his brief postgame hug-and-chat with Patrick Mahomes.
Maybe it wasn't quite on the scale of when Mahomes lay crumpled on the field last season in Denver. But at least some of that anxiety was alleviated when Mahomes' dislocated kneecap was manipulated back into place and he soon walked with minimal help.
In this case, for a fan base that has been pitched face coverings that read HELP KEEP PATRICK MAHOMES SAFE: WEAR A MASK, the doubts will linger as we wonder whether Mahomes (or any more Chiefs) might soon test positive.
Especially considering Mahomes' fiancee, Brittany Matthews, is pregnant, a highly personal but nonetheless very real aspect of this.
"It's something I think about every day. You have to think about that, with her being pregnant and kind of (in a) high-risk category," Mahomes said Wednesday. "I just try to do my best."
Despite what he called "a mental lapse" with Gilmore as his hardwired sense of sportsmanship prompted him, Mahomes has been diligent about precautions all along, often modeling use and touting their importance.
But safe to say he's had some reinforcement of fundamentals the last few days.
He got a reminder of the NFL's COVID-19 safeguards through Chiefs vice president of sports medicine and performance (and newly appointed Infectious Control Officer) Rick Burkholder: "Home and Away Teams are prohibited from post-game interactions within 6 feet of one another."
Then there was the matter of backup quarterback Jordan Ta'amu testing positive on Saturday. While Ta'amu is on the practice squad, he takes part in team and positional meetings with the other quarterbacks.
"Our meeting rooms are set up to where we're far enough apart, or he's in the virtual meetings or whatever that situation is," Mahomes said. "But when I went home over the weekend, I slept in a different bedroom and stayed away from (Matthews) as much as possible until I've gotten these negative tests back.
"I just try to do my part to keep myself away from her and social distance whenever stuff like this arises. The (good thing) about being here every single day (is) I get tested every single day, so it's good at keeping track of where I'm at."
Meanwhile, let's track to some deeper breaths here.
That includes remembering that it remains unclear when Gilmore was infected _ even if he did fly here on a second Patriots plane used for those deemed in close contact with quarterback Cam Newton, who tested positive for the virus on Saturday.
For all the distress conjured by the Ta'amu positive followed by the snapshot with Gilmore, each scenario falls short of the CDC definition of a close contact: being within 6 feet of an infected person for at least 15 minutes starting two days before a positive test.
That was evident with Gilmore on the field at Arrowhead following the Chiefs' 26-10 win.
And it's least tentatively implied in the Ta'amu matter by the absence of a positive test for Mahomes since then and the elaborate contact tracing the NFL and the Chiefs have in place.
So Mahomes is right when he says at this stage there is one major outbreak (in the Titans organization, where 24 players and other personnel have tested positive since Sept. 24) and some positive tests "here and there" and that this can be contained through proper measures.
Still, it's not paranoia if they're really out to get you, as one version of the saying goes. And distinguishing between paranoia and appropriate vigilance with this stealth virus is a challenge in itself given the prevailing tendency for extreme, and at times politically slanted, views.
Not to mention that even a negative COVID test or two is no assurance you don't have it.
So only about this much seems clear:
We already were verging on an inflection point after the last few days that featured the NFL rescheduling Tennessee's game with Pittsburgh to the end of the month and postponing the Patriots-Chiefs game from Sunday to Monday after positive tests on both teams.
That was compounded by the news Wednesday about Gilmore and defensive tackle Maurice Hurst of the Las Vegas Raiders _ scheduled to play the Chiefs on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
In an interview with the NFL Network on Wednesday, Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL's chief medical officer, said all options remain on the table ... including some type of pause or reset.
No wonder apprehensions will hover all the more over an NFL season that suddenly appears more precarious than ever.
Still, and it's an imperfect parallel, Major League Baseball stood at a crossroads a few weeks into the season when the Marlins and Cardinals suffered outbreaks that disrupted them and the broader MLB schedule.
That proved to be a galvanizing time, though, with renewed commitments, new data and revised protocols.
Somewhat in that spirit, the NFL on Monday added new measures ... including this: "Protocol violations that result in virus spread requiring adjustments to the schedule or otherwise impacting other teams will result in additional financial and competitive discipline, including the adjustment or loss of draft choices or even the forfeit of a game," Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a memo.
As we stand at a semi-similar junction now, this all seems capable of going a few directions.
But barring playing in a bubble, this was never going to be seamless.
"It's a different time," Mahomes said. "I think that's the biggest thing; you knew that coming into the season. If you thought you were going to go through the entire season and no one was going to test positive, then you had a little bit of false hope."
So like the game itself, now it's all about the next play: with each part dependent on every other one and, alas, even innocent lapses looming large.
"I'll try to keep away from that," Mahomes said, "and try not to do it again."
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