There has been a massive increase in Covid cases throughout the world recently, and the sports world has been a victim of this as well. Throughout the NFL, NBA, NHL, and other sports leagues, outbreaks amongst teams have been a regular occurrence, and leagues have been forced to consider taking action.
One of the biggest teams hit in the NFL has been the Cleveland Browns, who were set to face the Las Vegas Raiders this Saturday. The Browns were down several players due to an outbreak, including starting quarterback Baker Mayfield and now the NFL is taking steps to move games back to allow both teams to be better prepared.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL has moved the Raiders-Browns game back to Monday night instead of the scheduled Saturday time:
Raiders at Browns now will be played Monday night at 5 pm ET, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 17, 2021
This was surely the right thing to do as the Browns are one of three teams, along with the Los Angeles Rams and the Washington Football Team, with more than 20 players in the protocols. In addition, moving the game back two days will give them a chance to have some players return, which is even more possible due to recent changes to the league’s protocol system.
The Raiders haven’t been hit nearly as hard but did already rule out tight end Darren Waller for the contest with his ongoing knee issues, the third straight contest he will be out. Linebacker Denzel Perryman is also out with an ankle issue, as is cornerback Treyvon Mullen who is dealing with a toe issue.
With this contest being moved back, the league will also be moving the Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks and Washington Football Team vs. Philadelphia Eagles contests back to Tuesday night.
This contest will be huge as far as the AFC playoff picture is concerned. At 6-7, the Raiders are hanging on to their slim playoff hopes, and a victory against the 7-6 Browns would be huge as far as keeping them in the hunt while a loss will practically end any realistic chances.
