NFL moves 3 games due to virus outbreaks

The NFL has moved three games because of COVID-19 outbreaks: Raiders at the Browns from Saturday to Monday; and Seahawks at the Rams and Washington at the Eagles from Sunday to Tuesday.

The Browns could have been without as many as 16 regulars on Saturday, so the game is now scheduled to kick off at 5 p.m. EST Monday. It will be televised by NFL Network.

Washington and the Eagles will play at 7 p.m. EST on Tuesday, as will the Seahawks and Rams. Both games will be televised by Fox and available on Sunday Ticket.

“We have made these schedule changes based on medical advice and after discussion with the NFLPA as we are seeing a new, highly transmissible form of the virus this week resulting in a substantial increase in cases across the league,” the NFL said in a statement. “We continue to make decisions in consultation with medical experts to ensure the health and safety of the NFL community.”

College basketball: No. 21 Kentucky will now face North Carolina on Saturday in the CBS Sports Classic in Las Vegas after each of their opponents had to drop out due to COVID-19 issues. The new matchup was announced after fourth-ranked UCLA canceled its game against the Tar Heels. The Bruins have paused team-related activities, and the status of their future games is undetermined.

NBA: Kyrie Irving is rejoining the Nets on a part-time basis. The Nets decided Friday that Irving would come back to practice and play in road games, even though he remains unable to play at home because he doesn’t meet New York City’s vaccine mandate.

NHL: All games for the Avalanche and Panthers have been postponed through at least next weekend, and the hardhit Flames had their shutdown extended through the Dec. 24-26 holiday break. A total of 20 NHL games have now been postponed and roughly 10% of the 700-plus players are currently in virus protocol.