The Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers game was already moved from Thanksgiving night to Sunday afternoon thanks to positive COVID-19 tests from Ravens’ players and staffers, a move likely to cost NBC tens of millions in lost ad revenue. And now, there’s some uncertainty about if the game will even be played Sunday thanks to further positive tests, including one from Ravens’ quarterback Lamar Jackson. That’s as per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network:
Of course, a starting quarterback testing positive alone isn’t enough to call off a game. The New England Patriots had to play without starting QB Cam Newton following a positive COVID-19 test in October. But Jackson’s positive test adds to what’s been a staggering number from the Ravens, who had seen at least 10 positive tests (amongst players and staffers) since Sunday night as of Tuesday. And they reportedly saw “multiple new positive tests” Thursday, so it’s not just Jackson. We’ll see if there wind up being any further changes to this game.
[Ian Rapoport on Twitter; photo from Tommy Gilligan/USA Today Sports]
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.