Goodell Does Not Expect Rescheduled Games to be Moved Again

NFL Commish Roger Goodell has vowed the league will not move rescheduled games to further later dates.

Saturday and Sunday marks the first time this season that NFL games are being rescheduled due to Covid-19 outbreaks.

The Raiders will play at Cleveland on Monday at 5 p.m. ET with the NFL Network televising the game and an over-the-air broadcast in the home cities of the two teams. The game originally was scheduled for Saturday.

The Browns lost an unprecedented 18 players including both their starting quarterback and backup quarterback as well as their head coach.

The Washington at Philadelphia game will kickoff Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET. Fox will regionally televise the game and Sunday Ticket subscribers also can view it. It originally was scheduled to be played Sunday.

The Seattle at Rams game also has moved to 7 p.m. ET Tuesday from Sunday. It, too, will have regional coverage on Fox and be available to Sunday Ticket subscribers.

“Our expectation is that these games will be played at the rescheduled times and will not be moved to a later date or time during the week of December 20,” Goodell wrote in the letter to club executives, General Managers and head coaches.

“From the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, our focus has been to play our games in a safe and responsible way, consistent with the best available medical and public health advice, based on protocols jointly developed and implemented with the NFL Players Association,”‘ Goodell wrote. “A key element of our success to date has been our commitment to working with our union and our respective medical experts to make needed adjustments in response to changing conditions.

“The emergence of the Omicron variant is precisely the kind of change that warrants a flexible response. Based on medical advice, we have instituted additional protocols as well as revised testing protocols for reinstating players and staff who have tested positive. We have also considered whether certain games should be rescheduled in light of current conditions. Decisions to reschedule or cancel games will continue to be made in accordance with the principles outlined in my memorandum of July 22, 2021.”

- Dan Shapiro, Gambling911.com