/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5f74b1f1dfac059f5985c377/0x0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=4242&cropY1=152&cropY2=2538&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1 "Steelers-Titans Game Postponed Due To Covid-19 Outbreak")
Topline
The Tennessee Titans’ home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday has been postponed and will likely be rescheduled for either Monday or Tuesday, the NFL announced Wednesday, after nine members of the Titans organization tested positive for the coronavirus this week, which was the first Covid-19 outbreak in the league this season, resulting in the first postponement of an NFL game in three years.
The Tennessee Titans are seen during the national anthem before the game against the Minnesota … [+]
Getty Images
Key Facts
On Tuesday, the Titans confirmed that three players and five team personnel members tested positive for Covid-19, which resulted in the closure of their facilities until Saturday, at the earliest.
On Wednesday morning, it was reported that an additional Tennessee player tested positive, bringing the total to four, including starting defensive lineman DaQuan Jones.
The NFL announced Sunday’s game between the Titans and the Steelers, originally scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, “will be rescheduled to allow additional time for further daily Covid-19 testing and to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel.”
The league added that “details on the new game date and time on either Monday or Tuesday will be announced as soon as possible.”
An NFL spokesperson told ESPN on Wednesday that the Minnesota Vikings, who played the Titans this past Sunday, had no positive results in their latest round of testing.
As a result, it appears that the Vikings will travel to Houston to play the Texans at 1 p.m. ET this Sunday at NRG Stadium, as originally scheduled.
Key Background:
The Steelers-Titans game is the first Covid-related schedule modification of the season and the first time since 2017 that any NFL game has had to be postponed. The NFL is planning to step up its enforcement of face-covering compliance on the sidelines to reduce the risks of another outbreak. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the league sent another “strongly-worded memo” to team executives, general managers and head coaches on Wednesday, urging all to adhere to game-day protocols ardently. NFL officials declared they “will address lack of compliance with accountability measures that may include…suspensions and/or forfeiture of draft picks,” according to Schefter. Last week, five NFL head coaches (Vic Fangio, Jon Gruden, Sean Payton, Kyle Shanahan and Pete Carroll) were fined $100,000 each for not wearing face masks on the sidelines. The coaches’ teams were also hit with $250,000 fines, bringing the total amount to $1.7 million.
Crucial Quote:
“I know there’s going to be a lot of questions about the game and about who’s to blame and where it started. Nobody’s to blame. We’re in a pandemic,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said Wednesday. “This is a very unfortunate situation, but one that we’re confident that we will be able to handle safely with the football team and the players’ best interests in mind.”
Further Reading:
Coaches fined for not wearing face masks (NFL)
Steelers-Titans postponed after positive COVID-19 tests in Tennessee (ESPN)
/https://specials-images.forbesimg.com/imageserve/5f74b1f1dfac059f5985c377/0x0.jpg?cropX1=0&cropX2=4242&cropY1=152&cropY2=2538&w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1&description=Steelers-Titans+Game+Postponed+Due+To+Covid-19+Outbreak){kind=link}