An important AFC North showdown is again changing places on the Week 12 schedule.
The game between Pittsburgh and Baltimore has been rescheduled to Tuesday night at 8 p.m., the ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷Íøannounced Friday, as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 situation within the Ravens organization. The game will be broadcast on NBC.
In a related change, should the Pittsburgh-Baltimore game be played as rescheduled on Tuesday, the Week 13 contest between Baltimore and Dallas -- which was originally slated for Thursday -- will be moved to Monday, Dec. 7 and will start at 5 p.m. ET. That game will be broadcast nationally on FOX, ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷ÍøNetwork and Amazon Prime.
The Week 12 match-up between fierce divisional rivals was originally slated for the primetime Thanksgiving slot, but was postponed to Sunday at 1:15 p.m. because of Baltimore's COVID-19 issues. With that situation yet to be resolved, the league has again moved the game to a slot similar to the one that was also occupied by Buffalo and Tennessee in October because of a separate COVID-19 situation involving the Titans.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh released a statement on Friday regarding the situation.
"We appreciate the efforts of the ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷Íøand Pittsburgh Steelers throughout this process, while we all work to create an environment that keeps the health and safety of everyone involved at the forefront of each decision," the statement read. "Our organization has a plan in place, and we will be prepared to play the Steelers. We thank everyone for their adaptability and look forward to the challenge of facing a very good football team at Heinz Field on Tuesday night."
Within Thursday's round of COVID-19 testing, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson tested positive and was ruled out for Sunday's game and despite the latest change still will not be able to play against the Steelers, ¹ú²úÍâÁ÷ÍøNetwork's Tom Pelissero reported. However, Pelissero noted that, based on the timeline, Jackson could possibly be available to play against the Cowboys. Jackson was among five Ravens -- also, Patrick Ricard, Justin Madubuike, Morgan Fox and practice squad offensive lineman Will Holden -- placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Friday.
The Steelers also placed three players on the reserve/COVID-19 list -- defensive end Stephon Tuitt, defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs and offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins.
All decisions "were made out of an abundance of caution to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel and in consultation with medical experts," the league said in a statement released Friday.
