11-29-2020, 03:44 PM
NFL playoff bubbles a subject of active discussion as COVID cases rise
Published: Nov 29, 2020 at 05:58 AM
As COVID-19 cases rise around the country, the NFL has been affected more over the last two weeks that at any time since training camp began.
The Ravens-Steelers game has been postponed twice, with Baltimore set to play without 10 starters -- including reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson -- on Tuesday night, while the Broncos will play the Saints today without a quarterback.
The league is now considering its most dramatic action yet to prevent such situations in the postseason.
NFL officials are actively discussing creating "local bubbles" for the 14 or 16 teams that make the playoffs -- isolating all personnel in hotels except to go to and from the team facility and strictly enforcing limitations on who is permitted inside to interact with players, coaches or support staff.
That's considered a more feasible solution than creating 32 separate bubbles for the remainder of the regular season, or creating one large bubble in the mold of the NBA and NHL playoffs, with thousands more people inside because of the size of NFL rosters and staffs.
No final decision has been made, and the union would also need to sign off. Bubbles do have a downside.
For one, they take about a week to establish once everyone has gone through COVID-19 testing and other protocols. Also, there still would be some people coming and going, and if someone tests positive inside the bubble, the possibility of an outbreak can increase dramatically -- concerns Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL's chief medical officer, has voiced publicly over the past several months.
The league and NFLPA recently enacted a few measures aimed at clamping down. Facilities are closed Monday and Tuesday this week in light of rising positivity rates across the country and the possibility of exposures from out-of-town guests during the Thanksgiving holiday. Players are now required to wear masks on the sidelines if they're not substituting into the game or wearing a helmet. And the size of traveling parties has been cut down.
https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-playoff-bub...cases-rise
The Ravens-Steelers game has been postponed twice, with Baltimore set to play without 10 starters -- including reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson -- on Tuesday night, while the Broncos will play the Saints today without a quarterback.
The league is now considering its most dramatic action yet to prevent such situations in the postseason.
NFL officials are actively discussing creating "local bubbles" for the 14 or 16 teams that make the playoffs -- isolating all personnel in hotels except to go to and from the team facility and strictly enforcing limitations on who is permitted inside to interact with players, coaches or support staff.
That's considered a more feasible solution than creating 32 separate bubbles for the remainder of the regular season, or creating one large bubble in the mold of the NBA and NHL playoffs, with thousands more people inside because of the size of NFL rosters and staffs.
No final decision has been made, and the union would also need to sign off. Bubbles do have a downside.
For one, they take about a week to establish once everyone has gone through COVID-19 testing and other protocols. Also, there still would be some people coming and going, and if someone tests positive inside the bubble, the possibility of an outbreak can increase dramatically -- concerns Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL's chief medical officer, has voiced publicly over the past several months.
The league and NFLPA recently enacted a few measures aimed at clamping down. Facilities are closed Monday and Tuesday this week in light of rising positivity rates across the country and the possibility of exposures from out-of-town guests during the Thanksgiving holiday. Players are now required to wear masks on the sidelines if they're not substituting into the game or wearing a helmet. And the size of traveling parties has been cut down.
https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-playoff-bub...cases-rise