Virus disruptions hit Broncos, other teams as crisis expands

After bobbing and weaving around the coronavirus pandemic for much of the fall, the NFL nears the end of the third quarter of its regular season facing crises on teams from coast to coast.

On Saturday, health officials in Santa Clara County threw the 49ers’ season into turmoil when they temporarily banned contact sports at the high school, college and professional levels and required anyone traveling into the region from more than 150 miles away to quarantine (see stories pages B1, B2).

In Baltimore, six more members of the Ravens have tested positive for the virus, including four key defenders, as the outbreak in the team’s locker room expanded to 18 players, including quarterback Lamar Jackson, meaning a game now set for Tuesday after two delays might not be played at all.

But the most unusual development was with Denver, which might play Sunday against the Saints without any of its quarterbacks.

Blake Bortles, Drew Lock and Brett Rypien were forced to quarantine after coming in contact with a fourth quarterback, Jeff Driskel, who tested positive for the virus Thursday, according to a person familiar with the situation. All four players are ineligible to play Sunday.

Without any of their four QBs, the Broncos were prepared to run a lot of wildcat sets and have backup running back Royce Freeman play quarterback along with rookie practice squad receiver Kendall Hinton, who played QB for three seasons at Wake Forest.

Denver tight end Noah Fant tweeted, “Anyone know if Peyton Manning is busy tomorrow? Laughing but serious.”

For much of the season, the NFL had only one fullfledged outbreak, when two dozen players and other personnel tested positive on the Tennessee Titans. The league got through that crisis by postponing a handful of games and moving a few others around. But every team has exhausted its bye week, complicating efforts to juggle game dates this late in the season.

If any games, including the RavensSteelers matchup that was originally scheduled for Thanksgiving, are unable to fit into the league’s existing calendar, the NFL may have to add an 18th week to the regular season and delay the start of the playoffs.

The league’s doctors said they expect the number of positive cases to rise in line with surging infections across the country. On Friday, the NFL told every team to cancel inperson practices on Monday and Tuesday because some players and personnel had celebrated Thanksgiving with family and friends.

Among the virusrelated developments Saturday: Pittsburgh placed running back James Conner on the reserve/COVID19 list, while the Ravens added six more players to the list.

Conner joins three teammates already on the list along with 20 Ravens — Baltimore is down to three defensive linemen — casting further doubt that Tuesday’s game will be played.

Conner, who leads the Steelers (100) with 645 yards rushing and five touchdowns, joins defensive end Stephon Tuitt, defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs and reserve offensive lineman Kevin Dotson on the COVID19 list. The Saints placed starting left tackle Terron Armstead on the COVID19 list, leaving him ineligible for Sunday’s game at Denver. The Colts will be without running back Jonathan Taylor on Sunday. He is one of three Indianapolis starters who will sit out because of COVID19 when the team hosts the Titans.

Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, a former 49er, went on the COVID19 list for the Colts earlier this week and defensive end Denico Autry has not yet been activated after going on the list last week. The Raiders said running backs coach Kirby Wilson won’t coach Sunday in Atlanta for coronavirusrelated reasons. Senior offensive assistant John Morton will handle Wilson’s duties against the Falcons.

The Raiders have three players on the COVID19 list: running back Theo Riddick, tackle Trent Brown and defensive back Lamarcus Joyner. Detroit’s Patricia, Quinn out: The Lions fired general manager Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia, ending the franchise’s attempt to replicate the success the men helped Bill Belichick achieve in New England

“It clearly wasn’t working,” Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp said on a Zoom call with reporters.

The duo joins a long list of general managers and coaches who failed to help the franchise win over the past several decades. Since Detroit earned the 1957 NFL title, it has won only one playoff game — and that was way back on Jan. 5, 1992, when Barry Sanders was the running back.

Darrell Bevell, who has 14 seasons of experience as an offensive coordinator, will be the team’s interim coach for the final five games. The general manager’s duties will be handled on an interim basis by Kyle O’Brien, Lance Newmark, Rob Lohman and Mike Disner, all of whom worked for Quinn in the team’s front office.

Patricia, 47 this season, went 13291 in twoplus seasons.

Briefly: The Colts rewarded defensive tackle Grover Stewart with a threeyear contract extension worth up to $30.75 million with $20 million guaranteed. ... Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (thumb) was downgraded to doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Jets, meaning it’s likely Ryan Fitzpatrick will make his first start since Oct. 18. ... Browns chief of staff Callie Brownson will handle gameday duties for Cleveland’s tight ends on Sunday in Jacksonville, a first in team history for a female. Brownson will fill in for coach Drew Petzing, whose wife gave birth to the couple’s first child Saturday. ... The Bengals added former Stanford quarterback Kevin Hogan to their practice squad. ... The Chargers activated running back Austin Ekeler (hamstring) from injured reserve ahead of Sunday’s game at Buffalo. ... Rams practice squad cornerback Tyrique McGhee has been suspended without pay for two games by the NFL for violating the league’s policy on performanceenhancing substances.