Here is the NFL's schedule flexibility for coronavirus pandemic pic.twitter.com/02R0MLXFWE
— The Ringer (@ringer) May 8, 2020
With the sporting world at large in such flux due to the novel coronavirus, it may have seemed a bit odd for the NFL to release their schedule for the 2020 season on Thursday night. With the future anything but certain, and there being no guarantee that the season even happens, what good is scheduling events going to do?
Well, the NFL obviously thought about that, and they have baked a number of contingency plans into the schedule, allowing for a lot of flexibility. Among the addendums to the schedule are the following:
- Any week could act as Week 1 if the start of the season is delayed, meaning that if games can’t start by early September, Week 4’s matchup against the Baltimore Ravens could turn into Week 1.
- To keep this as cohesive as possible, the NFL has worked to mirror some team schedules to allow for reworking the slate. For instance, both the Cardinals and Redskins have a bye week during Week 8, so if their Week 2 game gets postponed, they can make it up during the bye week.
- The Super Bowl date is set, but it is easily moveable if need be. This one less effects the Redskins, but is more of interest to the common fan.
As we travel through the summer months and try to get a feel for how things will end up playing out, and when teams can get back onto the field, a lot of this will shift with the public thinking and the advice of health experts. With a schedule in place, it’s important to remember that nothing is set in stone.
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