Getty Will Holden wearing a mask after a Ravens game.
The Baltimore Ravens were set to play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thanksgiving night, but a wrench could have just been thrown into those plans.
Monday afternoon, the Ravens revealed that they had shut down their team facility indefinitely over positive COVID-19 tests. The release makes no mention of the number of players or staff members impacted, only to say that “multiple members” of the organization had tested positive and contact tracing had begun.
Statement from the Baltimore Ravens:
Obviously, health is the top concern for everyone in the organization, so it’s safe to say that everything football related is now firmly up in the air. As the Ravens said, they were beginning the process of hosting their football activities virtually, which means the timetable for a return will be dictated by testing and tracing.
This isn’t the first time the Ravens have had this issue this season. The team had a COVID-19 scare a few weeks back with Marlon Humphrey, but got over it in due time. The hope is they can find a way to do that again this time while keeping everyone healthy.
Ravens-Steelers Possibly in Jeopardy
Scheduled to play the night game on Thanksgiving, the Ravens and Steelers may be forced to postpone the game considering the quick turnaround this week. If that is the case, it’s possible the game could be moved to early next week as some others have been this season when COVID-19 issues have played a role in the games starting or kicking off on time.
In the coming days, it will be interesting to see if the Ravens get more players added to the team’s COVID-19 list. If that happens, it might be tough to play the game.
Ravens Injury Problems Creeping up
Save for these latest ailments playing out, the Ravens, for the most part, have been a healthy team this season in terms of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis as well as their own personal health in between the lines with injury. Baltimore’s biggest loss so far has come in the form of cornerback Tavon Young, who was hobbled in the team’s win against the Houston Texans earlier this season wth a knee injury and lost for the rest of the year. Ronnie Stanley has now been lost for the season in a challenging development, and Nick Boyle was also lost to injury over a week ago as well. Marlon Humphrey was the first Ravens player on the everyday roster to have contracted the coronavirus.
Week to week, the Ravens have had their share of bumps and bruises like all teams in the league and most recently, they have been trying to keep quarterback Lamar Jackson healthy as well as several other players on their offense and defense. It’s the second time this season the team has had a potential COVID related issue. The first time, the Ravens did a good job to mitigate the spread.
Hopefully, the Ravens can do just as good a job with the virus this time, whether or not they play the game on Thursday or another date in the future.