PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) — COVID-19 has made its presence known throughout the league all season, but it reared its ugly head at the worst possible time, at least for the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns spent the week trying to balance the crunch of preparing for a playoff game with an outbreak of coronavirus within the team.
But there are rays of sunshine for Cleveland just as they get ready for a Sunday night kickoff against the Steelers.
At least for now, the turbulence has calmed.
Adam Schefter reported this much on Sunday morning, saying that there were no new cases among Browns players or staff.
Sudden COVID cases could've put the game in jeopardy, but as Schefter has already quelled, the game is set to move forward.
However, the Browns will be behind the barrel with several missing starters, such as offensive line lynchpin Joel Bitonio and stud cornerback Denzel Ward.
The Browns didn't even manage to jury-rig together a practice until Friday.
There was a turnstile of COVID cases and contacts that had to be safely and appropriately handled through COVID/Reserve list activation and deactivation.
The cases even led to the Berea facilities staying closed on Thursday.
Even head coach Kevin Stefanski was confirmed to have COVID-19 and will miss the game.
But for today, at least, the Browns do not have any reported cases.
And while the team could be lauded for scratching and clawing through the week and trying to maintain player and personnel safety, they'll be faced with an uphill battle for Super Wild Card weekend.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns have their playoff matchup scheduled for Sunday at 8:15 p.m.