I was briefly encouraged this morning when Bullets featured nuggets about the Falcons and Colts returning to their respective facilities after their recent battles with COVID-19 cases.
And then the other shoe dropped:
Reporting with @FieldYates: The Patriots will be canceling their Friday practice after a positive COVID-19 test, per a source. There is also a second test they are awaiting to confirm is a positive.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 16, 2020
The New England Patriots have canceled their Friday practice because of another positive COVID-19 test, according to reporting from ESPN’s Mike Reiss and Field Yates. New England has already seen one game rescheduled due to positive tests. And depending on how this story develops in the afternoon, another could be coming.
And here’s the tricky part: The Patriots and Broncos are both coming off bye weeks. So whatever schedule flexibility that exists is slim (if it even exists in the first place). To that end, the NFL should probably start making contingency plans in case it postpones Sunday’s Broncos-Patriots game. Moreover, the league would be wise to piece together backup plans in case this happens to other teams later in the year. Because even though starting the season with much fanfare was nice, the goal should be to finish. And without healthy players, that will be impossible.