Here's Why COVID-19 Could Cost The Cleveland Browns Games

CLEVELAND — A season of sky-high expectations could be derailed if the Cleveland Browns suffer a COVID-19 outbreak.

Any team that suffers an outbreak among players or staff could be forced to forfeit games if the league cannot reschedule their contests, the NFL informed teams via memo on Thursday. The forfeit losses will hurt a team's playoff chances, according to the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

Effectively, that means if there is an outbreak of COVID-19 among Browns players, as there was last year, the team could lose games it didn't even play.

Some NFL analysts have described the league's new policy as mandating players get a vaccine without actually issuing such a mandate.

The league-wide memo, which was sent to all 32 teams by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, says the league has no chance of making up games that are missed because of the virus, thanks to the new 17-game regular season.

"As we learned last year, we can play a full season if we maintain a firm commitment to adhering to our health and safety protocols and to making needed adjustments in response to changing conditions," Goodell's memo reads.

"These operating principles are designed to allow us to play a full season in a safe and responsible way and address possible competitive or financial issues fairly."

Goodell's memo highlights that more than 75 percent of NFL players, and close to 100 percent of team staff, have been vaccinated so far.

It's that widespread vaccination rate that encouraged Goodell and NFL leadership in general to support such a step for teams that aren't in compliance.

For the Browns, this new policy could have massive implications. The team is coming off its first playoff victory in decades and is considered a serious contender for the Lombardi Trophy. Cleveland feels like a genuine threat to make the Super Bowl for the first time since the franchise's return to Northeast Ohio.

Yet, vaccine hesitancy among players or staff could shut down training facilities and lead to forfeited games. In a division with three playoff teams, the Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Baltimore Ravens, and an improving Bengals squad, there is little room for error.

Cleveland is currently slated to open the season against defending the Kansas City Chiefs, the defending AFC Champions, on Sept. 14.