Opinion: NFL teams better buckle up. COVID outbreaks could bring mayhem to the playoffs.
![Portrait of Jarrett Bell](https://cdn.statically.io/img/www.usatoday.com/gcdn/-mm-/214de21e755e4bb18e28cd2996b73d4072bc8f69/c=0-91-599-690/local/-/media/2018/12/11/USATODAY/USATODAY/636801324869828950-jarrett-Bell.png?width=48&height=48&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
We knew that with a new 17-game regular season, the NFLās playoff jigsaw puzzle would bring some extra drama for the stretch run.
Yet adding the X-factor of COVID-19 to the mix provides intrigue the NFL could do without.
With three games slated for the weekend postponed until Monday and Tuesday ā the first games in the league this season that have been rescheduled ā itās starting to feel like 2020 all over again.
Kudos to the NFL, pushed by the NFL Players Association, in coming off its previous stated plan to play through the 2021 campaign without altering the scheduleās timetable due to COVID-19 outbreaks. It was a determined approach, sending the message to the 32 teams that they had more of a responsibility to field their teams and would pay the potential competitive price for outbreaks.
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