COVID-19 has become the hottest player in the NFL

One can argue the National Football League has won as many or more battles against COVID-19 as any multibillion-dollar enterprise in the world.

So why does it feel like the pandemic is winning the war?

While most of us were locked down and separated from loved ones almost all of 2020, the NFL played a full schedule of 256 games, 12 playoff games and a Super Bowl - albeit to deserted stadiums - with limited interruptions and dramatically fewer COVID cases or serious illness than the general population.

Based on what most of us experienced, it seemed near miraculous.

With the arrival of vaccines and a lessening of the sinister virus's grip on us all, owners and players negotiated new, somewhat relaxed protocols for 2021 and allowed packed stadiums, again and until last week, the season came off without a significant hitch.

That was until the evil demon returned with a vengeance.

After reporting just 110 positive player tests from Labor Day until Nov. 27, more than 100 players have tested positive this past week, including serious outbreaks in Washington, Cleveland, Los Angeles (Rams) and here at home in Chicago.

As Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank said earlier this week, "At some point, you feel like you are fighting a ghost. You don't know where to swing."

But after ongoing negotiations the owners and players via the NFL Players Association have swung back, announcing several enhanced mandatory protocols. They include: Players on road trips will remain in the team hotel and can no longer entertain visitors and gatherings of three or more members of an organization outside the team facilities. In-person meetings must be held outside or in practice bubbles large enough to allow for distancing between participants. All players must wear masks when indoors at team facilities, and food service in team facilities will shift to a grab-and-go model with no groups of players or staff allowed to dine together.

Last summer the NFL announced that unlike last season games wouldn't be moved or postponed due to competitive reasons, like a team losing multiple players at a position group, but it did leave open the possibility if there were medical considerations.

That shoe dropped Friday with the announcement the Browns-Raiders game scheduled for Saturday would move to Monday, and the Washington-Philadelphia and Seattle-LA Rams games have been moved from Sunday to Tuesday.

The league insists it was done for medical reasons, but there's been some discontent. Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield was extremely vocal about the need to postpone games to protect players' health and competitive fairness. Raiders linebacker K.J. Wright tweeted: "I pay my player dues just to get lied to and the rules bent! If it was the other way around I swear we would be playing tomorrow."

It is not irrelevant that Browns center J.C. Tretter is the current president of the NFLPA.

Closer to home the Bears, were rocked with all three coordinators - Bill Lazor, Sean Desai and Chris Tabor - plus 13 players affected.

"I've gotten my booster shot," Lazor pointed out.

"I know I've been exposed to it before because I've been a close contact in the past. And obviously my body's resisted getting infected by it.

"I think I've done what I can do. I won't say I'm perfect. I think I do a pretty good job following the rules, wearing a mask. I just think we're going to have to take all the information in and do our best with it."

@Hub_Arkush