When Drew Lock came down with a bout of Covid and missed Seattle’s 27-11 loss to the Bears on Thursday night, it didn’t get much attention around the league even though coach Pete Carroll said he seemed to be “really sick.”
He didn’t lose any ground in his battle with Geno Smith for the starting job because Smith was ineffective in the first half and missed the second half with a knee bruise.
Carroll didn’t give much information about Lock’s status. And Lock could play in the final preseason game against Dallas and start the regular season at Denver when the Seahawks will meet their former quarterback, Russell Wilson.
Even though the NFL hasn’t had much of a problem with Covid during training camp and most people who are double boosted only have mild symptoms, Lock’s illness was a reminder that Covid could still play a role this season.
There is always a chance a key player could come down with Covid the day before a game and be sidelined and could have a major factor on a game.
Teams must give out a list 90 minutes before each game of the players who will be inactive.
This list will likely get more attention this year before each game than it usually does.
Americans seems to be acting as if they are done with Covid and are getting back to normal lives. But Covid may not be done with Americans – especially NFL players.
It may not be a big deal if a baseball player comes down with Covid and misses a few games. They play 162 of them.
But with each team playing just 17 NFL regular games, Covid could have a big impact from time to time.
And then there’s the playoffs.
Lock is not likely to be the last NFL quarterback or key player to miss a game with the illness this year. The NFL can only hope it won’t happen very often this year.