As the NFL gears up for its opening week, the COVID-19 outlook is encouraging from around the league.
There was only one new confirmed positive among NFL players and seven new positives among other personnel who were tested from Aug. 30 through Sept. 5, the NFL said Tuesday.
Players, tier 1 and tier 2 personnel were tested daily in this period, while tier 3 individuals were tested weekly. There were 17,519 total tests administered to 2,641 players while 26,991 tests were administered to 5,708 personnel.
The NFL faces arguably the greatest challenge of the four major sports in playing its season amid the coronavirus pandemic. Roster sizes are significantly greater than in the NBA, NHL and MLB, and football is a full-contact sport that won't be played in a bubble.
MLB opted against a bubble environment and has had to adjust on the fly to limit outbreaks within teams by postponing games and rescheduling with multiple doubleheaders.
Many NFL teams took it upon themselves to create their own bubble within training camp this preseason, but with no preseason games, no team has had to travel and come into contact with another team.
Some teams also plan to have fans inside the stadium at a limited capacity – which would make it the first major sport in the U.S. to do so.
The NFL season begins Thursday, when the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs host the Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium, which is expected to have fans present for the game.
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