NFL Opposed to Playoff Bubble Following COVID-19 Outbreak

The NBA playoffs just came to an end with the Los Angeles Lakers 17th championship in franchise history. The games took place in the Orlando bubble and resulted in no positive COVID-19 tests. Meanwhile, the NFL had an outbreak in Nashville when more than 20 Tennessee Titans tested positive, but the league is not considering a bubble of its own.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent held a virtual news conference on Tuesday to discuss the recent outbreak and safety measures. Both men faced questions about potentially holding the playoffs in a bubble, as well as the possibility of a delay. They clarified that adding an 18th week to the season is a possibility, but Vincent shot down the idea of the bubble situation. "We don't feel that is the safest course of action for us," Vincent told reporters.

The NFL has had to postpone multiple games during the first five weeks of the season. A battle between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans moved to Oct. 25 while another featuring the Nashville-based team and the Buffalo Bills moved to Tuesday. The Denver Broncos and New England Patriots had a postponed game as well after positive coronavirus tests.

With so many postponed games, there are concerns among NFL fans. They have expressed doubt about the entire season taking place in 17 weeks. Vincent said that the league's goal is still to complete the entire regular season in time. However, they would be open to adding an extra week to fit in all the games.

"If there's one consistent theme to our year it's flexibility and adapting. Flexibility is going to be critical. We will have flexibility to complete our season, but to do it safely," Goodell said about potentially extending the season by one week and delaying Super Bowl LV.

If the league does delay Super Bowl LV as many fear, there is a scheduling issue that could arise among sports fans. The annual Big Game would fall on the same day as NASCAR's season-opening Daytona 500. These two events are among the biggest of the year, and fans could have to make a difficult decision about which to watch.

Of course, some fans had a unique plan for fitting both the Daytona 500 and Super Bowl LV in. They said that the NFL and NASCAR could simply adjust the schedule to avoid any issues. Specifically, the fans said they wanted to see the Super Bowl start at 1 p.m. ET and the Daytona 500 at 7 p.m. ET.