No NFL Playoff Bubble, COVID-19 Vaccine Expected

If someone told the NFL back in August that they would get to Week 15 of the regular season and every single one of its teams had played all of their scheduled games, they would have gladly taken it. It really does speak well of the league, and, specifically, the players and teams that worked hard to follow the COVID-19 protocols, that this season has been so successful.

But as the league looks to wrap up that season and move forward into the playoffs, the margin for error becomes smaller. Moving games to Tuesday or Wednesday to accommodate a breakout is less viable. So the league and its players must be even more vigilant.

Vaccine Help Won’t Be In Time

Everyone knows that the biggest vaccine rollout in American history began this week. What won’t happen, however, is a cutting of the line for NFL players. 

Front line health care workers are getting the vaccine first, followed by people who are most at risk - like the elderly and people living with compromised immune systems.

The NFL will have to wait until the general population receives its vaccines. As NFL Player’s Association Executive Director Maurice Smith said, that’s how it should be. “When it comes to the vaccine, we will never jump the line or do anything that would take away resources from those people who need it first and foremost,” Smith said.

The chances that NFL players will be vaccinated before the Super Bowl is extremely low.

No Playoff Bubble

One possible way to cover for the lack of vaccine availability would be with a playoff bubble similar to what the NBA and NHL did. However, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced this week that there would be no bubble, and teams would operate in the postseason as they have throughout the regular season.

There will be a few tweaks to the protocols, beginning immediately. Players and staff will only stay in a team hotel on the eve of games. 

The NFL believes that the greatest risk is to have everyone gathered together for an extended period of time, so they are looking to minimize that.

Teams will now also be required to fly to games using two separate airplanes, again to minimize contact. The league is also reminding teams that when seating players on the two aircraft, do it strategically.

Don’t put entire position groups together to help avoid what happened to the Broncos.

Fans Will Attend Super Bowl LV

The Super Bowl is scheduled for Feb. 7, 2021, and the NFL says that there will be fans in attendance at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. How many fans is still to be determined. 

Goodell was in Tampa last Sunday and said that he was impressed with how the staff handled the mandated regulations, and they made him feel safe. However, local health officials will ultimately have the final say on attendance numbers.

As for the teams expected to be in Tampa for Super Bowl Sunday, the Dunkel Index has the Kansas City Chiefs (150.415) as the top-rated AFC team and the New Orleans Saints (143.664) as the best team in the NFC.

For picks for this week's NFL games, check out our NFL picks page.