It’s getting worse.
The Tennessee Titans coronavirus outbreak was only the beginning as more and more players and staff members tested positive this week, forcing postponement of their game against the Pittsburgh Steelers until Week 7 in late October.
Saturday, word came that Cam Newton, the starting quarterback of the New England Patriots tested positive and the Pat’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs has also been called off, possibly played on Monday or Tuesday of next week.
Government officials for the city of Green Bay and Brown County declared a Covid emergency on Saturday as the home city of the Packers has become the coronavirus hotbed of the entire country with cases spiking out of control. 250 doctors from the region wrote a letter to government officials asking for help in educating the public about how to avoid rapid spread.
And the Packers have a game to play in empty Lambeau Field on Monday night when the Atlanta Falcons, who had the first positive test of a player since the regular season began a week ago, come to town.
Matt LaFleur zooms with the media on Saturday.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur was asked if there’s anything he can say about the deteriorating state of public health and how he’ll share that advice with his team:
The Packers have enough medical concerns beyond coronavirus to worry about. A total of 16 players were on the final injury report issued before Monday’s game. The two players who have been declared OUT, Christian Kirksey and Allen Lazard, will remain out for a while as General Manager Brian Gutekunst moved both to the injured reserve list on Saturday. That means they’ll have to miss a minimum of three weeks before becoming eligible for reinstatement to the roster. Kirksey injured his should in the second quarter of the Detroit game. Lazard underwent core muscle surgery this week after getting hurt in New Orleans after the best game of his career. The team has no idea when or how the injury occured but Lazard will almost certainly be out beyond the three week minimum.
9 players were listed as questionable including Davante Adams and Kenny Clark who didn’t play last week. Jaire Alexander, Rashan Gary, Za’Darius Smith and Josiah Deguara are also questionable. Center Corey Linsley practiced Thursday and Friday and then jumped onto the injury list with a groin issue and is another questionable player.
Two players were listed as having an illness but it’s not believed to be Covid related. Jordan Love has been sick since mid-week while punter J.K. Scott was added to the list on Friday.
