Happy NFL Sunday, Broncos fans!

Wait, oh, never mind.

The 1-3 Broncos were originally scheduled to play the 2-2 Patriots today in New England at 2:25 p.m. MT. Then, due to Stephon Gilmore testing positive on Tuesday, the Broncos – Pats were moved to a 3 p.m. MT kickoff on Monday.

Now, due to another positive test in New England, the Broncos face the Patriots in Week 6, which means multiple things: 1. Week 5 is now Denver’s bye week, 2. The Broncos – Dolphins Week 6 game will have to be rescheduled and, 3. Both New England (Cam Newton) and Denver (Drew Lock) will get injured players back in time for the matchup.

Still, Broncos players are rightfully upset.

Their bye week was supposed to be Week 8, which means multiple days in a row of no practice, no meetings and rest. Players need that rest to regroup and finish the marathon of the 16-game season.

Instead, Denver practiced all week, including yesterday (Saturday) and they were ready to fly to Foxborough today. What makes it worse is the Patriots haven’t been able to practice due to their multiple COVID cases, so in effect, they’ve had a bye week.

Broncos fans are definitely upset because they won’t be able to cheer on their team at all this week. But players are even more mad because they’re being punished for the Patriots’ lack of following protocol.

Here’s McTelvin Agim quote tweeting Melvin Gordon’s complaint:

And, team leader Justin Simmons doing the same:

Simmons makes a great point here. The Broncos have been completely ravaged by injuries, and many — like Drew Lock, Mike Purcell and the aforementioned Joe Jones — practiced through those bumps and bruises. It would have likely benefitted them more to simply rest, relax and recoup their bodies.

So, this week they continue to practice and prepare to play the Patriots, who will almost certainly have starting quarterback and dual-threat Cam Newton back to run the offense. And they may even get back star cornerback Gilmore, too. Having either player on the field will undoubtedly help New England in that contest.

Denver will likely return their starting gun-slinger in Lock, which will help some, and if starting tight end Noah Fant can come back, that will also help.

But, what does it mean for the Broncos – Dolphins game?

It looks like it will be moved to Week 11, which was the original bye week for Miami.

If that doesn’t work out, the Broncos and Dolphins could also be scheduled to Week 18. However, the league doesn’t want to put anyone into a Week 18 game until we get deeper into the season, as more outbreaks are likely to crop up.

For now, Broncos fans will have to enjoy Week 5 without watching the orange and blue.