PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — With the Eagles making their first cross country trip this weekend, the nightmare of COVID-19 has had its first direct impact on the NFL season.
Sunday's game between the Titans and Steelers has been postponed after several members of the Titans tested positive for COVID-19. It's the first time the regular season schedule has been affected by the virus.
The league has moved the game to Oct. 25, but the bigger concern is for the health of the Tennessee players.
With the Eagles playing in San Francisco on Sunday night, it was a time for Doug Pederson to remind his players about the importance of following the league's COVID-19 protocol.
"There are protocols in place to protect players and coaches," said Pederson. "We know going to San Francisco, too, that this is a game that masks are going to be required by everybody on the sidelines. These are things that we're already communicating to our players about."
Until the breakout in Tennessee, the league had managed to keep its players safe. However, tight end Zach Ertz said the issues with the Titans should serve as a reminder to the rest of the league about the current situation with the pandemic.
"It is a great remainder for the other 31 teams that we've got to be diligent," Ertz said. "The pandemic is not over by any means. Even though we're playing, we're doing what we love, we're dealing with something that we've never dealt with before."
Players, coaches and even the rest of the people across the country may be growing weary of the constant reminders when it comes to COVID-19 safety. However, Pederson believes the message must continue to be relayed to his team, especially in a week they are flying to the West Coast for the first time in 2020.
"We know we're in this pandemic," said Pederson. "We're in this world of testing and kind of our own little bubble here, so for me, I have to continue to sort of over-communicate the protocols that have been in place. I can't let anything slip or slide from the standpoint of the messaging when it comes that way to the team."
The team seems to be getting Pederson's message.
The head coach praised his players for following the rules that have been put in place.
Ertz and his teammates understand that it would only take one player to spread the virus across the locker room.
"The biggest threat is going to be outside the building for us," Ertz said. "When they bring it into the building and it's not caught right away, then it's spreading. You're not going to get 50 guys that go out and all come back one day. It's going to be that one time where if they weren't socially distancing or wearing masks."
