NFL moves Titans-Steelers later in season after more positives

The NFL has rescheduled the Tennessee Titans’ game against Pittsburgh to later in the season after two more positive coronavirus cases Thursday among the Titans, the league announced.

The game, originally set for Sunday in Nashville, is the first NFL contest postponed due to the pandemic that wiped out all pre-season games.

The league had said Wednesday the game would not be played until at least Monday or Tuesday after Titans players and staff personnel had tested positive for coronavirus earlier in the week.

Thursday’s additional positive test announcements, one by a player and another by a staff member, raise the total to five players and six staff personnel testing positive.

“The decision to postpone the game was made to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel,” the NFL said in a statement. “The Titans facility will remain closed and the team will continue to have no in-person activities until further notice.”

The NFL said an announcement on a new date for the Titans-Steelers game will be made “shortly.”

The Steelers and Titans are both 3-0 and division leaders in the American Conference. They are among seven clubs still undefeated after three weeks of the regular season, set for 16 games per team as normal.

An outbreak of coronavirus within the Titans organization came after Tennessee’s 31-30 victory over the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday.

Both the Vikings and Titans shut down their facilities this week, with the Vikings having no positive tests and back in training ahead of their Sunday game at Houston.