The Las Vegas Raiders were ready for business as usual this week with a Saturday showdown against the Cleveland Browns.
But the Browns have been in the news all week because of nonstop positive COVID-19 tests.
In what seemed like an inevitable move, the NFL stepped in and postponed the game until Monday.
The Raiders, understandably, are going to be frustrated about this.
They now have an unexpected short week in Week 16 as they try to fight for a playoff berth.
Owner Mark Davis even chimed in with his displeasure about the decision.
Just spoke with #Raiders owner Mark Davis on game being moved back to Monday: Heath and safety is No. 1, but it's a competitive disadvantage to the @Raiders. Maybe the #Browns should fly to Las Vegas. @ESPNNFL @espn @SportsCenter pic.twitter.com/OxZgyHK9XF
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) December 17, 2021
Davis made several key points that are fair, but ultimately won’t change anything.
Raiders Owner Upset With NFL’s Decision
Davis mentions how his team has navigated COVID extremely well in 2021.
And that is fantastic news not just for games being played, but for the health and safety of everyone in the organization.
Yet the unique thing with the Browns’ situation is that there is an outbreak among vaccinated players.
The #Browns note that "every member of our organization who has recently tested positive was vaccinated, the majority of which are currently asymptomatic or experiencing mild symptoms."
— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) December 17, 2021
Getting vaccinated meant protocols were able to be relaxed a bit.
Any talk of forfeits was in regard to a team having an outbreak caused by unvaccinated players, which is not the case here.
Davis brings up the idea of the Raiders now being faced with a competitive disadvantage over the game being moved and even suggests the Browns should fly out to Las Vegas.
Having a ton of people carrying COVID flying to your city seems like an inherently bad idea.
As for the competition of it all, the Browns were going to play with mostly reserves and are only getting two more days to get some starters back.
And that is not yet a given.
Moving the game to Monday is annoying for the Raiders, but should not be an excuse if they end up losing.
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