Report reveals how close 3 NFL teams came to Week 15 forfeits

The NFL opted to postpone three Week 15 games on Friday, but there was serious consideration of another route before those decisions were made.

The Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams, and Washington Football Team were nearly forced to forfeit their respective Week 15 games, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. This not only would have led to players from all three teams losing their game checks, but their opponents — the Raiders, Seahawks, and Eagles — would not have been paid either.

The NFLPA successfully argued that the Browns, Rams, and Washington experienced a rise in cases despite adherence to the league’s COVID protocols. The union’s major goal was to ensure that the games could be played so the players would not lose game checks.

Forfeits would have come with significant ramifications, as many of the aforementioned teams are involved in playoff races. The Rams are a game behind the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West, while Washington and Cleveland are in the thick of the playoff race. All three would have had to absorb a loss, while the Eagles in particular would have collected an extremely valuable victory.

There is a reason why a lot of the players on the Eagles and Raiders are clearly unhappy with the postponements. On one hand, they would have lost a week of game checks in a forfeit scenario. On the other, they haven’t done anything wrong, are ready to play, and would have been credited with an important win in the standings had the NFL not shown some mercy to their opponents.

Photo: Nov 21, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) walks off the field after the Browns beat the Detroit Lions at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports