SF 49ers players, fans react to NFL postponing Steelers vs. Ravens

The SF 49ers universe wasn’t pleased with the NFL postponing the Thanksgiving night game between the Ravens and Steelers.

The smell of turkey filled the air, and the thought of stuffing and gravy overflowing the plate creeps into your head.

And the best part of all: watching football all day without feeling guilty. Thanksgiving was finally here.

But the NFL announced on Wednesday, the day before the usual trio of Thanksgiving day games, they were going to postpone their Thursday Night Football headliner between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. First to Tuesday, Nov. 30. Then to Wednesday, Dec. 1:

The SF 49ers community was none too pleased, to keep it simple.

Back in Week 9, the NFL decided to keep the SF 49ers versus Green Bay Packers game on Thursday night, despite the Niners having multiple players test either positive for COVID-19 or considered a close contact.

Last week, the Ravens had multiple players placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list causing one of the most important games for both teams to be pushed back:

SF 49ers rookie receiver Brandon Aiyuk shared his thoughts on the move:

So did running back Raheem Mostert:

Though they were the only SF 49ers player on Twitter to speak out, it seems the lack of public reaction from the team spoke volumes.

Of course, the SF 49ers Faithful had plenty to say on the schedule change:

The 49ers had every right to be vocal if they chose to be. The NFL put them in a tight spot and didn’t think twice about the situation they were in. They basically said “too bad, so sad” and moved on. It should be noted, members of the Packers tested positive for the virus the day after the game.

But when one of their top teams (with all due respect to the Ravens, this isn’t their fault) it seems the league moved mountains to make sure both sides could be at equal strength.

Now, understandably the NFL wants to put on a show when it comes to the heated rivalry of the Steelers and Ravens. The storylines are juicier than the turkey coming out of the oven. Pittsburgh is undefeated, the Ravens are battling for home-field advantage and both teams despise each other.

However, it doesn’t excuse the league for picking favorites.

Some members of the Pittsburgh Steelers tweeted about the situation, including tight end Eric Ebron, who said what many SF 49ers fans and players were thinking:

Ebron also had a series of “not safe for thanksgiving” tweets as well.

Fellow Steeler and Canadian rookie receiver Chase Claypool mimicked many thoughts:

The NFL has tried their best with the 2020 season. But this stunt clearly showed where their priorities lie. The SF 49ers would’ve lost to the Packers anyway, but maybe it could’ve been a closer outcome had the game been pushed back a few days, or even swapped bye-weeks.

There probably weren’t many “thankful wishes” directed to the league from the Bay Area this Thanksgiving. But SF 49ers fans can be thankful for a bright future once all the stars return healthy and better than ever.

In Canada, we celebrated our Thanksgiving back in October. Nonetheless, from my family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving, SF 49ers fans! Enjoy some turkey for us.