Virus forces NFL to scramble

Kendall Hinton, who plays wide receiver for the Denver Broncos practice squad, had never thrown a pass in an NFL game before starting as a quarterback in Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints. The NFL had ruled out the team’s entire quarterbacking squad due to COVID-19 concerns. The Saints won 31-3. The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, originally slated to play Thanksgiving night, will play Tuesday night instead. More than 20 Ravens players have either contracted the virus or been exposed to it.

Are other teams making significant changes? California’s Santa Clara County, which hosts the San Francisco 49ers, banned contact sports for three weeks starting Saturday due to rapidly increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases. The 49ers, who had two home games planned for Dec. 7 and Dec. 13, will play those matchups at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., home of the rival Arizona Cardinals.

Dig deeper: Read Ray Hacke’s report about how the absence of high school football has affected small towns.