Raiders-Buccaneers moved off Sunday Night
The NFL announced the Raiders’ game against Tampa Bay, originally scheduled for Sunday Night Football, has been changed to a Sunday afternoon kickoff because of concerns about the Raiders’ COVID-19 issues.
The league said Thursday the switch is a precautionary measure because of the uncertainty over the possibility that multiple Raiders players were exposed to COVID-19 through offensive lineman Trent Brown, which might put Sunday’s game in jeopardy. Thus, the Raiders’ home game against the Buccaneers at Allegiant Stadium has been changed to a 1:05 p.m. kickoff on FOX.
Brown is on the Raiders’ coronavirus reserve list, reportedly after testing positive for the virus.
NBC will now broadcast the Seahawks-Cardinals NFC West showdown in Arizona, which moves into the 5:20 p.m. PT prime time slot.
“These decisions were made out of an abundance of caution to ensure that a game would be available for fans on Sunday Night Football,” the NFL said in its statement. The league added it still expects the Raiders and Buccaneers to play Sunday afternoon. But, ultimately the decision whether or not to postpone it will be made in consultation with medical experts with the health and safety of players, coaches and game-day personnel in mind.
It’s also possible the game could be played as late as Tuesday. Should the game be postponed, rescheduling it will be tricky because the Raiders are one of 10 teams who have already had their bye week. While the Raiders had last week off, Tampa Bay’s bye week is during Week 13, when the Raiders are scheduled to play the Jets in East Rutherford, N.J. Thus, if the game winds up being postponed, there’s a strong possibility the NFL would have to add a Week 18 to accommodate the Raiders-Bucs rescheduling and any further postponements.
Raiders right tackle Trent Brown went into isolation after being placed on the COVID-19/reserve list Wednesday. He participated in the Raiders’ full practice Monday. In addition, the remaining members of the Raiders’ starting offensive line were also sent home and were quarantined as part of contact tracing precautions. Safety Jonathan Abram also was quarantined.
The Raiders’ schedule change occurred while the team was practicing in Henderson, Nev., and took them by surprise.
“It’s the first I’ve heard of it,” offensive coordinator Greg Olson told reporters during a video conference. “Our preparation is the same whether it’s a Sunday night game or a Sunday afternoon game.”