Bengals, Falcons, Dolphins reveal COVID positives, close facilities

Nov. 6 (UPI) -- A trio of NFL teams announced Friday that players or staff members tested positive for COVID-19, which resulted in altered practices and meetings for the Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins and Cincinnati Bengals.

The Falcons were the first team Friday to announce positive COVID-19 results. The NFC South franchise said a member of the football staff tested positives. The team decided to halt all in-person work at IBM Performance Field and meet virtually.

The team said the positive test result does not affect the status of its Week 9 game. The Falcons are to host the Denver Broncos at 1 p.m. EST Sunday in Atlanta.

The Dolphins said they were informed Friday that an assistant coach tested positive for COVID-19. The coach is now in quarantine. The Dolphins conducted a walkthrough practice session Friday at their Davie, Fla., facility before traveling to face the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in Glendale, Ariz.

The Cincinnati Bengals -- who are on a Week 9 bye -- said they were made aware Friday morning that two players tested positive for COVID-19. Bengals players were last in the facility Wednesday and will not return until next week.

The Falcons and Dolphins each said they entered the league's intensive protocol. The protocol involves shutting team facilities, deep cleaning and identifying potential high-risk close contacts of those who tested positive.

Sources told ESPN and NFL Network that the Green Bay Packers -- who beat the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday in Santa Clara, Calif., -- had one player test positive from Thursday's round of testing.

The 49ers, Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs also closed their facilities earlier this week due to positive COVID-19 tests.

The Philadelphia Eagles also had a player test positive this week and are in the intensive protocol, but have a Week 9 bye.