NFL to release 2020 schedule on Thursday night
NEW YORK — The NFL will release its regularseason schedule on Thursday night, the league announced Monday, as it continues conducting business mostly as usual amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The schedule will be revealed in a 3-hour telecast on NFL Network starting at 8 p.m. Eastern.
Thus far, the league has not announced any major changes to its schedule as a result of the pandemic, which has brought most organized sports around the globe to a halt. NFL training facilities are closed because of the pandemic, leading to the league’s firstever “virtual offseason,” but the league still plans to start the season on time while playing in teams’ home stadiums. Opening day for the 2020 season is Sept. 10, with the season set to conclude with Super Bowl 55 on February 7, 2021. The NFL also held last month’s draft on time while canceling all in-person events. The draft had been set for Las Vegas; instead, Commissioner Roger Goodell announced picks from his home.
Should the pandemic force major changes to the season, the league is considering alternatives including empty stadiums, neutral sites and getting rid of bye weeks, league executive Troy Vincent told The Associated Press last week. Any such changes would have to be approved by the players union.
NFL moving London, Mexico City games back to US stadiums
The NFL is moving its five games scheduled for London and Mexico City this season back to U.S. stadiums because of the coronavirus pandemic. All five regular-season games will be played at the stadiums of the host teams.
Scheduled were two home games for the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium in London and two at Tottenham’s new facility, with the Atlanta Falcons and Miami Dolphins as hosts. The Arizona Cardinals were to be the home team for the game at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City.
Opponents had not been announced.
“While the NFL’s many fans in London, the U.K. and Europe will obviously be disappointed by this news, it is absolutely the right decision to ensure the safety of everyone involved in the sport,” London Mayor Sadiq Khan said. “I know that the NFL remains fully committed to London and I look forward to welcoming NFL teams back to the capital in 2021.”