The 2020 NFL schedule remains in tact at this point. A sign of the league’s optimism regarding the upcoming season. Many questions remain unanswered, and people are feeling uneasy about autumn and football at all levels. For the most part, the NFL has avoided the procedural challenges related to COVID-19.
The league appears cautiously optimistic that the upcoming season will play out on schedule and with fans in stadiums. The 2020 season-opener will take place on Thursday, September 10th. The league remains committed to a complete, 17-week regular season at this point.
Commissioner Roger Goodell also says to expect a full series of playoff games leading up to Super Bowl 55 in Tampa Bay on Sunday, February 7th. The international games in London and Mexico City have both been cancelled, but beyond that, the NFL remains with its normal schedule. The league reportedly will do so until somebody says it’s impossible.
From Pro Football Talk: “Per sources with direct knowledge of both the NFL’s deliberations and the current and expected medical and scientific developments in the coming weeks and months, there is an ‘extremely small’ chance that there will be no NFL season in 2020.”
Goodell in an interview with ESPN explained it’s too early to speculate whether fans will be able to attend games when the 2020 NFL season begins. “We’re going to the things we need to do to make sure we’re operating safely, and that includes our fans,” the commissioner said. “So if we can’t bring fans into a stadium environment without being safe, then we’ll look at those alternatives.”
Testing is the key. Health experts claim COVID-19 is not going anywhere anytime soon. The NFL believes that by August, “testing will be prevalent, the testing process (saliva or finger prick) will be simple, and the results will be turned around very quickly.”
Simply because NFL training camps start so soon — in mid-July — the NFL faces a different set of challenges than those in front of the regular season. Teams’ offseason programs, including rookie minicamps, are expected to remain virtual.
NFL preseason games, which typically start just a few weeks after camps open, are up in the air as well. Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank has speculated that fewer could be played in 2020.
This article was written citing information and media from FOX Sports, NBC Sports, and the AP. For more college sports, follow us on Twitter @MWSNsports or like our page on Facebook.
