NFL 21 | Cleveland Browns vs Pittsburgh Steelers - Simulation - CPU vs CPU
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CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Browns first playoff game in 18 years will be played with its head coach Kevin Stefanski and many other key members of the coaching staff and at least one Pro Bowl player sitting at home watching it on television because of COVID-19.
Stefanski, two members of his coaching staff and two more players tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday and won’t be able to participate in the Wildcard Playoff game against the Steelers on Sunday night.
Special teams coordinator Mike Priefer will serve as the acting head coach for the game, marking the second time he’s served as head coach for an NFL game.
The other coaches who tested positive today are tight ends coach Drew Petzing and defensive backs coach Jeff Howard. The two players are Pro Bowl left guard Joel Bitonio and receiver KhaDarel Hodge.
Stefanski is currently asymptomatic and will continue to work virtually from home to prepare for the game. He’s feeling fine and plans to be involved in all preparations for the game. However, he is not permitted to be involved on gameday. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt will call the plays.
The Browns also currently have six other players and three other coaches who are isolating from the team because of COVID-19 protocols -- for a total of eight players and six coaches currently out. Some of those players and coaches will also have to miss the game. That makes for a total of eight players and six coaches.
The other coaches already isolating because of COVID-19 protocols are offensive line coach Bill Callahan, receivers coach Chad O’Shea and assistant offensive line coach Scott Peters. Callahan tested positive on Saturday and will also likely have to sit out the game. O’Shea tested positive last Wednesday and might be back in time.
The players currently on the list are Denzel Ward, B.J. Goodson, Andrew Sendejo, Malcolm Smith, Kevin Johnson and Harrison Bryant. Ward, Bryant and Smith tested positive on Thursday and will be cutting it close to return, but they at least have a chance.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the game is still on for 8:30 Sunday night because the positive tests are believed to be from community spread and not from inside the facility.
The NFL believes that there’s no risk of further transmission inside the facility.
The NFL and its partner conducted genomic sequencing on the positive cases from last week and there were three different strains of the virus among the players and personnel. These new cases from Tuesday will undergo the same treatment.
The Browns facility is closed while contact tracing is underway. More players and coaches could be added to the list by the end of the day, but they will be able to participate in the game because they only have to isolate for five days.
The positive tests come at the worst possible time for the Browns, who clinched a playoff berth Sunday for the first time in 18 years with their 24-22 victory over the Steelers.
The Browns (11-5) haven’t played in a playoff game since their 36-33 loss to the Steelers in the Wildcard round on Jan. 5, 2003.
It’s particularly unfortunate for Bitonio, because he’s one of the few players who lived through 0-16 and has been waiting for this moment since 2014. Bitonio, a three-time Pro Bowler and the Browns’ best offensive lineman, hasn’t missed an offensive snap since 2016.
After the Browns clinched on Sunday night, Stefanski handed the ball in the locker room and let him say a few words to the team.
“I just appreciate everybody in the room and the work that they put in from the top down, just working to change the culture here,’' he said on his Zoom call afterwards. “There was a culture of losing and a culture of not being able to finish some of the games that we have been in. I just appreciate everybody and hopefully we are setting the stage for a winning culture in Cleveland for a long time.”
Bitonio will likely be replaced by either rookie Nick Harris if his ankle is okay, or Michael Dunn.
Tomlin had a brief encounter with his former Vikings colleague Stefanski on the field Sunday, but Tomlin is in the clear after contact tracing, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported.
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