Falcons shut down facilities after positive COVID-19 test, LeBron James pays tribute to Kobe Bryant, and more sports news

Another NFL team is facing a possible postponement this week.

The Atlanta Falcons shut down their facilities after a wave of positive COVID-19 tests. ESPN initially reported that the Falcons had four positive tests, but an NFL official later clarified that one member of the team had tested positive.

The Falcons are scheduled to play the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.

Since only one positive test has been confirmed, Friday will likely determine the status of Sunday’s game. If more players and staff members test positive, a postponement is possible.

So far this week, the NFL schedule has remained untouched. The last two weeks have included a major shuffling of schedules and bye weeks.

Sunday’s Vikings-Falcons game is in Minnesota, meaning Atlanta players will likely travel on Saturday. This means the decision on Sunday’s status could come quickly.

Another postponement is not what the NFL needs. It was easier to manage during the first five weeks, but now teams are coming up on their bye weeks, which essentially means they can’t have another bye unless the season is pushed back a week.

When the Lakers won their championship, fans and players made sure to remember Kobe Bryant. When LeBron James came to Los Angeles, he said he’d get the franchise back to where Bryant had it, and he accomplished the mission.

James shared an Instagram message, saying he hoped Bryant was proud.

“Hope I’m made you proud my brother!! Love and miss you Champ!!” James said.

Bryant often said how badly he wanted to get that sixth championship to catch Michael Jordan. If James takes that same approach, then the next goal should be catching Laker legends Bryant and Magic Johnson, then going after that “ghost” that he referred to many years ago.

In baseball, there’s a saying that your momentum is only as good as your next day’s pitcher. Whoever said that didn’t envision a team’s scoring 11 runs before its pitcher even took the mound.

The Los Angeles Dodgers set an MLB postseason record by scoring 11 runs in the first inning of Game 3 of the NL Championship Series against the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday. They scored 15 runs in the first three innings after scoring seven in the final three innings of Game 2.

It seems the Dodgers' momentum was as good as their bats launching balls 400 feet, but if momentum is truly created by the next starting pitcher, L.A. is in good shape with three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw set to take the mound tonight.

ESPN reports that recently released running back Le’Veon Bell is choosing among the Bills, Dolphins and Chiefs.

Those are three good choices for Bell. Each offers something different.

If Bell goes to Miami, he can become the No. 1 option and prove to naysayers that he’s still an elite running back. With the Chiefs, he’d be put in the best winning scenario, but first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire will probably get the bulk of touches. The Bills are a combination of both. Current starting running back Devin Singletary and his 3.9 yards per carry leave the door open for another running back to share the touches, and the Bills' 4-1 record means they can win games.

Whichever team Bell chooses will say a lot about what he’s looking for. If it’s Miami, he likely wants to prove that he can be the All-Pro from his Pittsburgh days. The Chiefs and Bills both should give him a better shot at a Super Bowl, plus Kansas City already has one to its name.

Oh, and there might just be another interesting tidbit to why those are his three choices.