Covid-19 hits Tennessee Titans, who are scheduled to play Steelers in Week 4

The first covid-19 outbreak has hit the NFL, and it could impact the Pittsburgh Steelers’ game Sunday.

The Tennessee Titans, who are scheduled to host the Steelers at 1 p.m. Sunday at Nissan Stadium, are the first NFL team to report multiple positive covid-19 tests since the regular season began.

The NFL said three players and five personnel members tested positive Tuesday in the wake of the Titans’ game Sunday at the Minnesota Vikings.

The Titans will not return to their team facility until Saturday, which would put a Sunday kickoff against the Steelers in jeopardy. Moving the game to a Monday night kickoff is one alternative.

The NFL did not announce a postponement or rescheduling of the game by Tuesday night.

For the Steelers, it was business as usual. Players had their customary day off while coaches continued video preparation for the matchup between two 3-0 teams.

“We’ve been given a mandate to prepare as if the game is going to be played and played on time, so that is our mentality,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “We’ve gone about today’s business from a game-planning standpoint with that mentality, and we intend to push into tomorrow with a normal schedule.”

The Titans players identified as testing positive are defensive lineman DaQuan Jones, long snapper Beau Brinkley and practice squad tight end Tommy Hudson. Titans outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen was placed into covid-19 protocol Saturday, the day before the game against the Vikings.

If the game is postponed, one possibility is rescheduling it for Oct. 25, which is Tennessee’s bye week. The Steelers are scheduled to play in Baltimore that day, but with both AFC North Division rivals having a bye the following week, the Steelers-Ravens game could be played Nov. 1. However, that would give the Steelers three consecutive road games: at Tennessee, Baltimore and Dallas (Nov. 8).

“I’m sure they are pondering possibilities as they are gathering information,” Tomlin said. “We are preparing to play. That’s the element of the equation that we can control as we sit here today.”

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent a letter to teams Tuesday outlining precautions the league is taking because of the positive test results. The NFL is examining contact tracing as a way to prevent the spread of coronavirus, and all players and non-players testing positive have been isolated.

Tomlin said he is not concerned about taking his team to Tennessee, which is one of 20 states listed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health as having a high number of positive coronavirus cases. Travelers to Tennessee are advised to quarantine for 14 days upon returning to Pennsylvania.

“We’re going to trust the medical experts,” Tomlin said. “If they deem it safe for us to proceed, then we’ll go down there with the intention of playing and playing to win.”

The Vikings also suspended all in-person club activities, although they have not reported any positive tests.

“Both clubs are working closely with the NFL and NFLPA, including our infections disease experts, to evaluate close contacts, perform additional testing and monitor developments,” the NFL said in a statement. “All decisions will be made with health and safety as our primary consideration. We will continue to share updates as more information becomes available.”

In training camp, the Steelers were among 11 NFL teams that had several false-positive test results reported by BioReference lab in New Jersey. Six players were withheld from practice for a day as part of covid-19 protocol. The lab reported 77 false-positive results throughout the league, and every test came back negative upon re-examination.

All eight members of the Titans team and staff have tested positive, the league confirmed.

“We’ve talked openly throughout the process that 2020 is going to have its challenges and we have to be light on our feet and have a hard-core plan,” Tomlin said. “We’re ready to live that out. We understand there is uncertainty, but we have to have a high level of professionalism and focus in spite of that.”