As COVID-19 surged through the NFL this week and forced the rescheduling of three games, multiple sources involved in talks between the league office and NFL Players Association told Yahoo Sports that three teams were on the verge of having to forfeit Week 15: The Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams and Washington Football Team.
It was a staggering reality that began to sink in for the league and players union by Thursday, pushing the two sides into a rescheduling negotiation that the NFL was adamant about avoiding heading into this season. The about-face became increasingly necessary as all three teams teams struggled to patch together a gameday roster that could play safely, a point that became concerning enough for the Rams that players engaged in a midweek discussion about not playing.