2020 has been defined by postponements, cancellations, and drastic alterations to the status quo, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sports industry has and will continue to feel the ripple effects of these changes, as many leagues’ calendars, salary caps, and fan attendance will at least semi-permanently take new forms for the foreseeable future. After several months of near silence in the sports world from mid-March to June, a semblance of normalcy has returned, still shrouded by the ominous fears of COVID.

Now, through five weeks, the National Football League (NFL) stands at a perplexing and complicated moment. On one hand, this season has incredible entertainment value. With no clear favorite at this point in the season, and a rare depth of Super Bowl contenders, the week-to-week matchups have been as captivating as NFL fans have seen in recent memory. Even the New England Patriots, seen as the evil empire by most fans, are admittedly more fun, as quarterback Cam Newton has provided a new burst of energy that’s hard to root against.

The MVP debate has flipped every week it seems, as an incredibly deep field of quarterbacks continues to put up high-scoring and action-packed performances. We are truly blessed to be witnessing a season featuring potential all-time great Patrick Mahomes, a resurgent and dominant Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson at his offensive peak, an electrifying and hungry Lamar Jackson, promising rookies Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow, as well as veterans Tom Brady and Drew Brees looking to return to the Super Bowl despite diminishing arm strength.

While the die-hard fans and season-ticket holders may not be able to tailgate in a mob of bodies and cram into a seat on the 50-yard line on Sunday, the casual viewer’s experience remains mostly unchanged. We can still admire the lovable broadcasting duo of Tony Romo and Jim Nantz as they break down the action. We can still engage with friends from home or school over fantasy leagues or long-standing rivalries. On paper, the product that the NFL is putting out is beyond satisfactory for fans of all types.

This all would be wonderful, if not for the lingering COVID-19 pandemic. Whereas other leagues, most notably the NBA held the safety of its players and other employees paramount, the NFL’s thirst for normalcy has put the league on shaky ground. After several months off, through intense, rigorous planning, the NBA was able to pull off a successful playoffs in Orlando at Disney World. In nearly four months of operation in the bubble, no players tested positive following the initial migratory period into the bubble, and no games had to be moved or postponed for COVID-related issues. Meanwhile the NFL had the luxury of being in its offseason upon the emergence of the pandemic, leaving more than ample time for the league to adjust its protocols for the following season.

What commissioner Roger Goodell and the league’s owners came up with has not been working. The plan seemed to consist of a virtual draft in late April, the cancellation of meaningless preseason games, requiring coaches and those on the sidelines to wear masks, and not much else. Teams still travel across the country every week, and players still come to and from their stadiums and practice facilities on their own accord. With little oversight, other than a few fines for coaches who neglected to wear masks, and a dubious investigation into the Tennessee Titans’ behavior prior to its numerous positive tests, it has become up to the individual organizations to keep their players on the field. As cases continue to rise across the country, this task has proven to be nearly impossible.

The last few weeks have been defined by outbreaks on a handful of teams (some small — Las Vegas Raiders and Atlanta Falcons: 1 case each; some larger — New England Patriots: 4 cases; Tennessee Titans 11 cases, only counting players as of October 14th). Some teams are even allowing limited attendance at stadiums, which is an odd and confusing sight for sure. From these unfortunate developments, the league has scrambled to rework the schedule, waiting for negative tests in some cases to decide whether a game should be played or not. This last-minute scrambling shows that the league really had no plan all along, instead simply hoping that none of its massive body of players and employees would happen to ever test positive. Mirroring the negligence of the nation’s political leadership, the NFL’s hands-off approach to the pandemic could only ever end one way. Normalcy was not an option this season, and as such the product has suffered.

We should not be surprised that the league that plays through risks of CTE and other life-altering head injuries, the very same league that essentially fired Colin Kaepernick for protesting racial injustice and is led by the collective for-profit billionaire’s club of older, white, male owners did not adapt to account for the virus. Still, it is ridiculous to think that the league thought that it was somehow above the virus.

While TV ratings may still be high, and the season will likely plow its head along through any further setbacks, it’s hard to imagine the state of things getting much better in terms of employees’ safety. A Super Bowl champion will likely be crowned some time in February, and most fans will continue to watch the nation’s favorite sport. But as each week goes by, it’s hard not to have a growing sour taste in your mouth with each gruesome injury, positive test, and rescheduled game.