Week 18 makes more sense for Ravens vs. Steelers than Tuesday does

The Baltimore Ravens game with the Pittsburgh Steelers should be postponed. This calls for week 18:

The Baltimore Ravens haven’t been able to contain the spread of Covid-19 in their franchise. Because of Covid-19, the Ravens are set (at least for now) to be very shorthanded against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Tuedf you’re following all the reports, the Ravens pandemic problems have gotten out of hand.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are now having some pandemic problems of their own. James Conner, a cancer survivor, has tested positive. That’s a scary situation. Connor isn’t the only Steelers player with a positive test. The most important thing is the health of the players and staff members of both organizations.

Adding a week at the end of the season is the only practical decision other than a forfeit. Nobody wants the automatic loss, which leaves a bad taste in the mouth. The extra week at the end of the season would allow the league some flexibility for other games. It is also the only fair and safe way to play this game.

Think about it. The Ravens would be down to three defensive linemen on Tuesday night. The Ravens would have to overextend their defensive linemen. The Ravens would be without Patrick Mekari, Matt Skura, and Will Holden. and D.J. Fluker. Talk about a skeleton crew in the trenches! Lamar Jackson and other stars will be out as well.

The Ravens are getting close to not being able to field a team. They can’t field a team responsibly. Not only would the Ravens be stretched dangerously thin, yet how could anyone be confident that the outbreak has been fully contained. If positive tests keep coming in, Tuesday won’t work. It won’t work for the same reasons that Thursday and Sunday didn’t work.

There isn’t enough time to pick up players and get them cleared to play. The schedule shakeups can only go so far. This won’t be the last Covid-19 problem of the week. The Denver Broncos could go into a game this week without a quarterback available. Things are getting screwed up everywhere. A week 18 sounds like an inevitability if the league wants to finish the season.

Jay Glazer reports that two more starters could be added to the Covid-19 list. Things change just about every five minutes. The situation remains the same. It stinks.

The bottom line:

The bottom line is simple. Player safety is the top concern. The NFL has to protect the players on both teams. It’s not in the Steelers to risk playing the Ravens right now. It’s not reasonable for the Ravens to play in these circumstances. If Sunday didn’t work, why will Tuesday? That’s a serious question. It’s hard to see a good reason to do anything but add the proposed 18th week to the season.

A forfeit would be problematic for several reasons. One of these reasons is because the players may not get their game checks if there is no game. This is an unprecedented situation. The NFL must do everything it can to make the most of a bad situation.