New England Patriots

Patriots Fined $350K for COVID-19 Violations Ahead of Cardinals Game

Team facilities around the league will be closed Monday and Tuesday due to a spike in cases

Brian Fluharty-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL may be at a tipping point when it comes to COVID-19, even as the Patriots take on the Cardinals Sunday afternoon.

New England was fined $350,000 for COVID-19 protocol violations that occurred back in October when players, including Cam Newton, tested positive, according to a report from Ian Rappaport of the NFL Network.

The New Orleans Saints also received a fine for coronavirus violations. A "maskless locker room celebration" earned them a fine of $500,000, Rappaport tweeted.

Team facilities around the league will be closed Monday and Tuesday due to a spike in cases.

In Baltimore, 18 players have tested positive for coronavirus, including quarterback Lamar Jackson.

In Denver, the starting and backup quarterbacks are considered high risk and won't play Sunday. The NFL games scheduled for Monday and Tuesday are still expected to take place.

Although the Patriots have struggled with coronavirus, this weekend they're focused on the Cardinals, especially quarterback Kyler Murray.

Murray has more than 600 rushing yards, the most in the league. New England's defense knows he's tough. They say they're prepared, given other top-notch quarterbacks they've faced this season.

"I think that there's certain lessons that we can learn from playing DeSean [Jackson], Lamar [Jackson], even Patrick Mahomes earlier in the year," said New England Patriots Defensive End Chase Winovich. "It's a matter of just executing now. I feel like we have some good targets for our team to hit."

Sunday's game at Gilette Stadium will start at 1 p.m.

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