COVID-19 is once again wreaking havoc in the NFL. The Washington Football Team added three more players to their reserve/COVID-19 list on Thursday. Washington now has 21 total players on the list, leaving them with only 17 active players ahead of Sunday's big game in Philadelphia.
The Eagles opened as four-point favorites for Sunday's game, but that line has since ballooned to nine points as more Washington players continue to be added to the list.
And it matters, because it's a big game. The Eagles and Washington are fighting for a playoff spot. Philadelphia is currently at 6-7, tied with Washington, Minnesota, Atlanta and New Orleans for the 7th and final NFC wildcard spot, while Carolina and Seattle sit one game back at 5-8.
"And this game is going to go a long way towards determining who plays in the postseason and who doesn't," said 94WIP's Ray Didinger in his preview of Sunday's game.
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Didinger says the bite COVID-19 is taking out of the NFL this year is pretty scary.
"And it's going across all sports. It's going across all of society. I mean, if you look what's happening on Broadway ... every day, there's two more shows shutting down. ... We're getting back to that area of where we were not that long ago, and all of a sudden, Broadway was dark. ... And, you know, professional sports kind of took a hiatus or went into a bubble. We're kind of getting back there.
"And the NFL was very proud of the fact that they didn't change anything in the big year of COVID. I mean, they just barreled right through. They played all the games. They didn't have any postponements. And a lot of people, including me, said there's no way they're going to make it through this year, without without adjusting the schedule."
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Here is a list of the players on the reserve/COVID-19 list:
DE Montez Sweat (Dec. 8)
LB Khaleke Hudson (Dec. 10)
DE James Smith-Williams (Dec. 11)
DE Casey Toohill (Dec. 12)
DT Jonathan Allen (Dec. 13)
LB David Mayo (Dec. 13)
DE William Bradley-King (Dec. 13)
TE Temarrick Hemingway (Dec. 13)
DT Tim Settle (Dec. 14)
CB Kendall Fuller (Dec. 14)
DT Matt Ioannidis (Dec. 15)
QB Kyle Allen (Dec. 15)
LB Milo Eifler (Dec. 15)
S Darrick Forrest (Dec. 15)
T Cornelius Lucas (Dec. 15)
TE Sammis Reyes (Dec. 15)
WR Cam Sims (Dec. 15)
S Kam Curl (Dec. 16)
C Keith Ismael (Dec. 16)
C Tyler Larsen (Dec. 16)
Losing Allen leaves Taylor Heinicke as the only quarterback with starting experience on Washington's active roster heading into Sunday's game. Kyle Shurmur was the only other quarterback on Washington's practice squad prior to the reported addition of Ta'amu. Shurmur has been with Washington since mid-September.
Washington has also placed defensive tackle Matthew Ioannidis on the reserve/COVID-19 list, leaving them seven defensive linemen down.
A positive COVID-19 test means a 10-day isolation period, while vaccinated players can return after receiving two negative tests within a 24-hour period.
Earlier this week, the Eagles placed wide receiver Quez Watkins and running back Jason Huntley on the reserve/COVID-19 list.