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| - While the NFL is planning to play the 2020 season from September to early February as usual, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is ready to make coronavirus adjustments as needed. The league released its schedule for next season Thursday night with the opener set for September 10 when the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs play host to the Houston Texans. Super Bowl 55 is set for February 7, 2021 at Tampa, Florida. The NFL has already had to make some adjustments for the global pandemic, dropping games planned for England and Mexico during the 2020 campaign and staging last month's NFL Draft in virtual fashion rather than as a spectacular event in Las Vegas as originally envisioned. A league meeting of team owners and other officials later this month will be conducted in virtual fashion rather than as a Southern California gathering due to the deadly virus outbreak. Being adaptable is also part of the NFL's planning when it comes to the 2020 season, Goodell said, with eyes on whatever advice might come from medical experts as the weeks pass. "In preparing to play the season as scheduled, we will continue to make our decisions based on the latest medical and public health advice, in compliance with government regulations, and with appropriate safety protocols to protect the health of our fans, players, club and league personnel, and our communities," Goodell said in a statement after the schedule announcement. "We will be prepared to make adjustments as necessary, as we have during this off-season in safely and efficiently conducting key activities such as free agency, the virtual off-season program, and the 2020 NFL Draft." There is some flexibility built into the NFL schedule, with two weeks between the conference championship games and the Super Bowl. Also, each NFL team shares a bye week later in the season with the team it is scheduled to play in the second week of the 2020 campaign, allowing for postponements to be easily rescheduled. js/rcw
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