Earlier this week, the reaction to the Ravens having a spate of positive COVID-19 tests was pretty predictable among Steelers fans.
After all, the positive tests within the Ravens organization were seemingly out of control earlier this week, forcing the NFL to postpone Baltimore's game Thursday night against the Steelers to Sunday.
Then, more positive tests Thursday night -- including to quarterback Lamar Jackson -- forced the NFL to move that game again, this time to Tuesday night.
We now know that even that might not be enough.
The Ravens have stopped having players test positive after placing Jackson, fullback Patrick Ricard, defensive lineman Justin Madibuke and long-snapper Morgan Cox in the Reserve/COVID-List. Six more players were added to the list Saturday.
That was just in time for the Steelers to start having a outbreak of their own. Defensive linemen Stephon Tuitt and Isaiah Buggs and offensive tackle Jerald Hawkins were placed on the Reserve/COVID-List by the Steelers Friday afternoon. Then, Saturday two more people within the organization, running back James Conner and special teams coach Danny Smith also tested positive for the Steelers. Quarterbacks coach Matt Canada also won't coach in the game, though that is due to an unrelated -- at this time -- illness.
The game between the Steelers and Ravens is now in jeopardy once again.
As of now, the NFL has no plans to shift the game from Tuesday. But that could change if the Steelers continue to have positive tests. In that case, the solution would be the addition of a Week 18 game between the two teams or to cancel the game altogether. If either happens, the NFL could shift the Dallas-Baltimore game, which had been moved to Monday, Dec. 7, back to Thursday night. The game was initially moved because the league couldn't have the Ravens play on Tuesday and then again on Thursday.
How did we get here and what happens now? Well, let's take a look at what we know.
Thursday, Nov. 19: According to multiple reports, Ravens strength and conditioning coach Steve Saunders tests positive for COVID-19 during daily testing procedures. Saunders failed to initially report having symptoms earlier in the week. Compounding the problem is that Saunders didn't always adhere to league-mandated protocols for wearing a mask or location monitor while at the team facility.
Sunday, Nov. 22: The Ravens lose at home, 30-24, in overtime to the Titans to fall to 6-4. Meanwhile, the Steelers knock off the Jaguars, 27-3 in Jacksonville. After the game, Ravens running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram, test positive for coronavirus, the results of which become known Monday morning.
Monday, Nov. 23: The NFL shuts down the Ravens practice facility while contract tracing with Dobbins and Ingram is completed. Nose Tackle Brandon Williams, who did not play against the Titans because of an injury, is found to be a high-risk contact with one of the two for longer than 15 minutes. The Ravens are given the OK from the NFL to return to their facility in the afternoon, holding meetings virtually and an on-field walkthrough. Meanwhile, the Steelers hold team meetings in preparation to play the Ravens Thursday night. Linebacker Pernell McPhee also is added to the Reserve/COVID List as a positive test.
Tuesday, Nov. 24: The Ravens' facility is shut down for a second time, this time for the afternoon, after more positive tests arise. But the team already held virtual meetings and a walkthrough in the morning with NFL approval. The Steelers, meanwhile, have a regular workday with virtual meetings -- all NFL teams were placed in intensive protocol as of Saturday, Nov. 21 -- and a full practice, the last time all players were in direct contact with each other at the team facility. The Ravens place defensive lineman Calais Campbell, who like Williams also did not play against the Titans because of an injury, and centers Patrick Mekari and Matt Skura on the Reserve/COVID-19 List. Third-string quarterback Trace McSorley, initially identified as a close contact with Saunders the previous week and placed on the Reserve/COVID List, also officially tests positive.
Wednesday, Nov. 25: The Steelers report to the UPMC-Rooney Sports Complex for mandatory testing, but Mike Tomlin postpones their scheduled walkthrough while awaiting word from the NFL whether or not the two teams will play Thursday night. The NFL announces just before 1 p.m. the game will be moved to Sunday at 1:15 p.m., and Tomlin sends his players home, also deciding to give his players Thursday (Thanksgiving) off. Several Steelers players take to social media to show their displeasure with the move. The Ravens release a statement saying Saunders had not been following NFL safety protocols and has been "disciplined" by the team for his actions. Meanwhile, the positive tests continue for Baltimore. Defensive lineman Jihad Ward tests positive for the Ravens and is added to their Reserve/COVID List.
Thursday, Nov. 26: With their game cancelled and the Ravens' practice facility still closed, Steelers players also are given the day off. It seems like it will be a quiet day. But additional testing shows that the move to postpone the game was a prudent one. Ravens quarterback and reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and an additional staff member are found to have tested positive. The news breaks just after the completion of Washington's victory over the Cowboys at a time the Steelers and Ravens were initially set to kick off at Heinz Field. The Ravens now have 12 players who have been placed on the Reserve/COVID List. Ravens head coach John Harbaugh reportedly tells his team the organization has closed its practice facility until Monday.
Friday, Nov. 27: While awaiting a decision on whether the game will still be played Sunday, Tomlin postpones holding a practice again, then cancels it. The decision is finally made in the early afternoon. The Steelers and Ravens will play at 8 p.m. Tuesday. Baltimore's game against the Cowboys at M&T Bank Stadium, originally scheduled for Thurs., Dec. 3, will now be played Mon., Dec. 7 -- maybe. The Steelers announce offensive tackle Jerald Hawkins and defensive linemen Stephon Tuitt and Isaiah Buggs have been placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 List. That gives the Steelers four players on the list. Rookie guard Kevin Dotson has been on the list for two weeks. The Steelers release a schedule showing they won't practice Saturday, but will get together at some point Sunday.
Saturday, Nov. 28: The Ravens announce the addition of six more players to their COVID List, offensive tackles D.J. Fluker and Will Holden, outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson, defensive lineman Broderick Washington and cornerbacks Tayvon Young and Khalil Dorsey. That brings their total number of players on the Reserve/COVID List to 20. Things also go from bad to worse for the Steelers. Conner, a cancer survivor and high-risk player, reportedly tests positive. So does the 67-year-old Smith. The Steelers go to work on contract tracing to see if anyone is a high-risk contact with Conner or Smith. There is a feeling within the organization that the contamination happened sometime the previous weekend when the Steelers played the Jaguars. Perhaps coincidentally, the Jaguars sent their entire defensive coaching staff home Tuesday for COVID-19 concerns and three defensive assistant coaches won't be available to work their Week 12 game against the Browns.