Saturday morning was unfortunately very eventful, as quarterbacks of the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs have tested positive for the coronavirus. After it was reported by CBS Sports NFL insider Jason La Canfora that Cam Newton was heading to the COVID-19 reserve list, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that Chiefs practice squad quarterback Jordan Ta'amu had tested positive for COVID-19 and was also added to the reserve list.
The Patriots and Chiefs were scheduled to kick off tomorrow at 4:25 p.m. ET, but that will not happen. The NFL released a statement not long after the news broke that they would indeed be rescheduling the Sunday matchup.
"The New England-Kansas City game scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday will be rescheduled to Monday or Tuesday after positive COVID-19 tests on both teams.
In consultation with infectious disease experts, both clubs are working closely with the NFL and the NFLPA to evaluate multiple close contacts, perform additional testing and monitor developments. All decisions will be made with the health and safety of players, team and gameday personnel as our primary consideration."
ESPN's Diana Russini reports that as the Chiefs' scout team quarterback, Ta'amu was responsible for playing the role of Newton in practice to get the Chiefs defense ready to face the Patriots star.
Before being signed by the Chiefs earlier this offseason, Ta'amu was the starting signal-caller for the XFL's St. Louis BattleHawks. Ta'amu led the BattleHawks to a 3-2 record and finished the shortened inaugural season third in passing with 1,050 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Ta'amu established himself as one of the XFL's best right from season opener, as he led the BattleHawks to a 15-9 victory over the Dallas Renegades -- who were the early favorites to win the league. Ta'amu completed 74 percent of his passes for 209 yards and one touchdown in the victory, and also rushed nine times for a total of 77 yards. It was a performance that made him a finalist for the XFL's first "Star of the Week" award.
The Ole Miss product broke the all-time school record for 400-yard passing games during his time in Oxford, and finished his career ranking sixth all-time in program history with 5,600 passing yards. During his senior season in 2018, he also rushed for 342 yards and six touchdowns.
Ta'amu ended up going undrafted in 2019, but got a chance with the Houston Texans and passed for 50 yards and one interception in three preseason games. He was released ahead of the regular season.
