Since 2012, the NFL prepared a Week 4 bye week in every season other than 2017 and 2020. Last season, the San Francisco 49ers reached the Super Bowl after having a Week 4 bye week.
Thats the Titans bye week. Pittsburgh is scheduled to play at Baltimore that week, but both the Steelers and Ravens have byes in Week 8, which would permit the NFL to make a change impacting only one other group.
The Pittsburgh Steelers-Tennessee Titans game will not be played during Week 4 following two extra favorable coronavirus tests amongst the Titans, the NFL announced Thursday.
According to a declaration from the NFL, one additional Titans gamers and one personnel member evaluated positive for COVID-19 on Thursday. That comes after four gamers (beginning nose take on DaQuan Jones, linebacker Kamalei Correa, long-snapper Beau Brinkley and practice team tight end Tommy Hudson) and five team workers members evaluated favorable earlier this week.
” The decision to postpone the video game was made to guarantee the health and security of players, coaches and video game day workers,” the NFL said in its declaration. “The Titans center will stay closed and the group will continue to have no in-person activities till more notice.”
The announcement comes a day after the NFL stated the game, which had actually originally been set up for Sunday, had been delayed to Monday or Tuesday.
Titans coach Mike Vrabel stated Wednesday that a few of the gamers who checked positive were experiencing flu-like symptoms.
” I understand theres going to be a lot of concerns about the game and about whos to blame and where it started. … This is a really regrettable situation, but one that were positive that we will be able to handle safely with the football team and the players finest interests in mind.”
The Minnesota Vikings, who played the Titans on Sunday, had no favorable lead to their most current round of coronavirus testing Wednesday, and their center was arranged to be reopened Thursday.
Now the NFL needs to figure out how to reschedule a video game between two of its 7 unbeaten groups after the leagues very first COVID-19 break out.
The simplest circumstance for rescheduling is Week 7 on Oct. 25. Thats the Titans bye week. Pittsburgh is arranged to dip into Baltimore that week, however both the Steelers and Ravens have byes in Week 8, which would permit the NFL to make a modification affecting just one other group.
The challenge is turning today into a bye for both Tennessee and Pittsburgh and follows both teams started preparing to play as early as Monday. The Titans, who played in the AFC Championship Game in January, and the Steelers, revived with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger back, might be playing without a break through the remainder of the regular season.
Having a Week 4 bye is not always a drawback, nor is it anything brand-new. Since 2012, the NFL planned a Week 4 bye week in every season except 2017 and 2020. Last season, the San Francisco 49ers reached the Super Bowl after having a Week 4 bye week.
Pittsburgh hosts the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 11. The Buffalo Bills are arranged to check out Tennessee that day, the next video game that could be affected depending upon how the Titans outbreak continues.
ESPN Stats & & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
