Report: NFL's 2020 contingency plans include pushing back Super Bowl
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The NFL will release its standard 17-week schedule on May 9, but the league is preparing for radical changes to the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Among the alternative plans being considered is pushing back the Super Bowl - which is slated to be held in Tampa - from Feb. 7 to Feb. 28 to help compensate for the start of the campaign possibly being delayed up to five weeks, according to John Ourand and Ben Fischer of the Sports Business Journal.
The NFL reportedly would move two weeks of early-season games to the end of the schedule. It would also create a third week of games between teams that have the same bye week, eliminating byes league-wide.
The contingency plans also reportedly include cutting the week between the conference championships and the Super Bowl, meaning the Pro Bowl wouldn't be played.
The league and its broadcast partners are prioritizing keeping a full 16-game regular season and the Super Bowl staying in February, according to Ourand and Fischer.
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