3 Steelers players go on reserve/covid-19 list; game vs. Ravens postponed until Tuesday

The NFL is moving the date of the Pittsburgh Steelers-Baltimore Ravens game one more time.

Because of a continued covid-19 outbreak in the Ravens organization, the league announced the game is being postponed from Sunday afternoon until Tuesday night. The game will be televised at 8 p.m. by NBC.

The Steelers also are dealing with several covid-19 cases that came to light Friday.

Defensive ends Stephon Tuitt and Isaiah Buggs and offensive tackle Jerald Hawkins were placed on the reserve/covid-19 list, which is for players who tested positive for coronavirus or came into close contact with someone who did.

The Steelers, the only undefeated team in the NFL at 10-0, have four players total on the reserve/covid-19 list, and the Ravens have 14, including quarterback Lamar Jackson, the defending NFL MVP.

The latest development means the Steelers may be without a starting defensive end (Tuitt) and two backups when they face the Ravens on Tuesday. Per NFL rules, they must remain on the list for five days since the last contact with the infected individual and can resume activities on the sixth day if all tests are negative. If a player has tested positive, he must miss a minimum of 10 days.

The game between AFC North rivals at Heinz Field already had been moved from Thanksgiving night until Sunday with a scheduled 1:15 kickoff.

“We appreciate our fans’ patience as we work through the rescheduling of our upcoming game versus the Baltimore Ravens,” Steelers spokesman Burt Lauten said in a statement. “Along with the Ravens, we have been working with the league office to ensure the game can be played safely in Week 12. We look forward to a national NBC audience on Tuesday night that will showcase one of the best rivalries in the NFL.”

The second postponement will give the Ravens (6-4) more time to get the covid-19 outbreak under control. It also will have a domino effect on the Week 13 schedule. The Ravens are scheduled to play Thursday against the Dallas Cowboys.

If the Steelers-Ravens game remains on course and is played Tuesday, the Ravens-Cowboys game will shift to Dec. 7.

As it stands, the Steelers will play the Washington Football Team on just four days of rest when they meet at Heinz Field on Dec. 6.

“These decisions were made out of an abundance of caution to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel and in consultation with medical experts,” the NFL said in a statement.

Jackson reportedly was among four Ravens players who tested positive Thursday. Joining him on the reserve/covid-19 list Friday were fullback Patrick Ricard, defensive end Justin Madubuike and long snapper Morgan Cox.

The Ravens are down to two healthy quarterbacks: Robert Griffin III, who started and beat the Steelers in the 2019 season finale, and practice squad player Tyler Huntley. No. 3 quarterback Trace McSorley also is on the reserve/covid-19 list.

According to the NFL’s contact tracing, no player this year has gotten covid-19 from contact in a game.

Still, the risk of transmission during a game is certainly there, said Brian Labus, an assistant professor in the School of Public Health at the UNLV. But the risk is there in nearly every activity leading up to the game as well.

“Think about what they do all week: It’s practice, locker rooms, sitting together watching films and things like that,” he said, noting that, in a space like the NFL, those situations aren’t really avoidable.

“You’re spending a lot of time around people who could potentially be sick,” Lubas said.

And that’s just leading up to the game, he said, at which point you’ve got 22 people on the field, most of whom are actively trying to make physical contact.

“It starts with a huddle, and the play ends with a bunch of people tackling someone,” he said. “Football is designed for people to be in close contact.”

Lubas said inherent risk involved with the sport is why the league has focused so much energy on its daily testing strategy, though even that can only take them so far.

“The problem with testing is the test does not identify the disease in every person who has it,” he said. “You can be infectious before you have any symptoms, so it’s challenging to use testing by itself to stop disease transmission.”