| The Detroit News
With more positive COVID tests, the NFL has had to do some juggling of the schedule to keep things balanced and in order. The Tennessee Titans have been the most notable case of a team with an outbreak, in addition to the New England Patriots, who had quarterback Cam Newton test positive.
The league has had to shuffle games for eight teams, which is complicating the schedule moving forward. More positive tests will make for further complications.
For the Lions, it hasn’t been a big concern, outside of the false-positive test for a Saints player before last week’s game.
It’s a looming issue, though.
“For us, we just try to make sure that we’re adhering to all the different protocols that we get from the league,” coach Matt Patricia said Monday. “They’re giving us great information and we’re trying to stay diligent about that and making sure that as that moves in different directions that we’re on top of it, and we’re modifying what we do too just to stay safe from that accord.
“The guys did a good job through camp certainly coming back from all the different places with more training in the springtime.”
The Lions had their own scare with a false-positive test for Matthew Stafford, but since then, they haven’t reported any positive tests for any of their players or staff. It’s only five weeks through the season, but just staying with their safety measures is a big key.
“Through the course of the season, we’ll just be flexible and handle whatever we have to handle as it comes forward,” Patricia said, “but we’re coming off the bye which is good for us from that standpoint, just to kind of reset and taking a look at everything else that’s going on in the league.”
Rod.Beard@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @detnewsRodBeard