Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Widespread COVID-19 outbreak engulfs Browns amid playoff push

Originally posted on Sportsnaut | By Vincent Frank | Last updated 12/14/21

The Cleveland Browns are in the midst of a playoff battle in the AFC and facing a short week with their Week 15 outing against the Las Vegas Raiders coming Saturday afternoon.

Unfortunately, the Browns are facing a COVID-19 outbreak. Earlier in the day, reports indicated that the team informed personnel all meetings would be held virtually due to new positives within the organization.

We now have more clarity on this. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, star wide receiver Jarvis Landry and starting guard Wyatt Teller have been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Zac Jackson of The Athletic notes that six other members of the Browns have also been placed on the list.

Austin Hopper, tight end
Takk McKinley, EDGE
Jedrick Wills Jr., offensive tackle
JoJo Natson, wide receiver
Ross Travis, tight end
Drew Forbes, offensive tackle

Eight members of the Browns now are very much in question to play Saturday against the Raiders. It’s all about what led the players to being placed on the reserve list.

That’ll be sorted out later. What we do know is that the reports from the Cleveland Browns earlier on Tuesday seems to suggest these are positive cases.

This comes a day after the NFL reported a record 37 new COVID-19 cases on Monday. It’s a clear indication we’re seeing a major outbreak of the virus around the league during the holidays.

As for the Browns, they sit at 7-6 on the season following a big Week 14 win over the Baltimore Ravens. They are currently tied with the Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos for the final two spots in the AFC playoff race.

Cleveland currently loses the tiebreaker against the Colts and Bills while holding the advantage over the Bengals and Browns.

Needless to say, the possibility of being without so many core players will impact the Browns against a Raiders team Saturday afternoon that still holds some hope for postseason action.

This article first appeared on Sportsnaut and was syndicated with permission.

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