Tampa Bay Buccaneers are supposed to play the Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are scheduled to play the Las Vegas Raiders this Sunday night in front of a national audience, but that game could be in a bit of jeopardy here on Wednesday.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier Wednesday that Raiders OL Trent Brown had been placed on the COVID-19 reserve list, but that the team was still scheduled to practice Wednesday afternoon.
Raiders Coach Jon Gruden met with the media following practice and revealed that the team had sent its entire starting offensive line home due to contact tracing.
Jon Gruden said the Raiders had to send their entire starting offensive line home today with Trent Brown now on the COVID-19 reserve list.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) October 21, 2020
Jon Gruden said #Raiders "had to send five starting linemen home because they were around Trent [Brown]," who will reportedly go on the COVID-19 list. "Hopefully we'll get some players back tomorrow for Sunday."
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) October 21, 2020
While the plan is still to play the game, there will have to be more tests done before it’s given the all-clear. One tough issue would be rescheduling the game because the Raiders just had their bye week, as The Athletic’s Greg Auman pointed out.
Raiders just had their bye week, so even with their COVID-19 concerns, that makes any rescheduling of Sunday's Bucs-Raiders game beyond bumping it a day or two very complicated. First, must make sure it's safe to play.
— Greg Auman (@gregauman) October 21, 2020
Buccaneers will be prepared to play, but it will all depend on what happens in Las Vegas
It’s likely not enough for the game to be canceled if there are just a couple of positive tests and if the offensive line is able to return in the coming days following all of the NFL’s protocols and procedures.
That being said, it’s certainly something to keep your eye on as we head into the remainder of this week. If the Raiders aren’t able to get their starting offensive line back- or even other members of the line- it could be a long night against that Bucs defensive front.
But, right now, the bigger story is what’s developing off the field. Will the game be able to be played?
If it were being played today, the answer would likely be yes, but we all know that things can change in a hurry and there’s at least a little bit of doubt cast as we progress towards Sunday, that is until we get better news.