First COVID-19 outbreak has struck the NFL. All eyes are on what happens next
Update, Sept. 30: According to ESPN, Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans has been postponed, and the league is exploring moving the game to either Monday or Tuesday.
The #Steelers and #Titans will play either Monday or Tuesday, source said. So, being postponed, but not for very long. https://t.co/Xu0SoD2ZpO
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 30, 2020
Original article:
The fear that COVID-19 would disrupt the National Football League season was realized Tuesday when the 3-0 Tennessee Titans became the first team to report an outbreak.
The NFL confirmed that three players and five team personnel tested positive for the virus, forcing the Titans to suspend in-person activities through Friday, a statement from the league and the National Football League Players’ Association said.
— NFL (@NFL) September 29, 2020
Welcome to Week 4 where both the Titans and their Week 3 opponent, the Minnesota Vikings, closed their facilities immediately following the positive test results, and won’t be able to hold practices. The Titans are scheduled to host the Pittsburgh Steelers during Week 4, a matchup featuring two of the league’s seven unbeaten teams.
So what’s next for the Titans?
The options are sparse.
Most NFL insiders feel with three Titans players already having tested positive — and with the possibility of that number growing — it’s unlikely Sunday’s game will be played.
“I do not expect Tennessee to play this game,” ESPN reporter Dianna Russini said following the announcement of the positive results. “I don’t know how they’re going to be able to do this.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the NFL “intends to play the Titans-Steelers game as scheduled Sunday.” Here are the other options that the league can take if more positive tests come back and have to reevaluate.
Option 1: Quarantine for 14 days
The Titans have some alleged positive covid tests. Only solution here is to take two weeks off — skip undefeated Steelers and Bills — and return to play against the winless Texans. https://t.co/zOjCYYbnFg
— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) September 29, 2020
According to ESPN, “players who test positive for COVID-19 and remain asymptomatic can return 10 days after the test or after five days with two consecutive negative tests within a five-day period.”
Because of protocol, Tennessee was without outside linebackers coach and defensive play caller Shane Bowen in Week 3 after he tested positive for the virus on Saturday. Using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance, anyone who “has spent more than 15 minutes within 6 feet of somebody who has COVID-19 should quarantine for 14-days.”
That would mean no game against the Steelers this weekend or against the Buffalo Bills on Oct. 11.
Option 2: Rearrange bye weeks
Best solution for rearranging the Steelers/Titans schedule.
- Steelers/Titans don't play Sunday. Week 4 becomes Steelers' official bye week.
- Steelers/Ravens gets pushed from Week 7 to Week 8 (both teams have byes).
- Steelers/Titans play Week 7 (Titans scheduled bye).— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) September 29, 2020
This is a tricky one. While the above scenario can work, if the announcement of a postponement falls on Friday after the Steelers have practiced during the week, they then don’t have a “true” bye week.
During a bye week, players stay away from the practice facility to rest, Bleacher Report said. The Steelers announced that they will continue to practice this week until an announcement is made.
#Steelers statement pic.twitter.com/C3xbmT9moZ
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) September 29, 2020
Option 3: Two games on a Monday
NFL wants to and intends to play the Titans-Steelers game as scheduled Sunday; one of the contingency plans to allow for additional testing and contact tracing to occur would be to move the game to Monday night, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 29, 2020
Week 4’s Monday night game is the Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers. However, as Schefter mentioned in his tweet, the NFL could move Steelers-Titans to the night as well, giving the Titans more time to prepare. Both games could air at the same time, if needed.
Option 4: A rare forfeit
So the Titans will probably forfeit this weekend against the Steelers. There's no other way around it. Everyone knew this might happen and it did. https://t.co/TDV84Gdi5o
— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) September 29, 2020
According to the official NFL rulebook, a forfeit happens “... when a game is not played because of the failure or refusal of one team to participate.” If this happens, the team forfeiting loses 2-0 (the points given for a safety).
In NFL history, this has happened once — and it’s not even considered an actual forfeit. In 1921, a year after the league was created, the Rochester Jeffersons lost by “forfeit” to the Washington Senators, but at that time the rule hadn’t been created and it wasn’t clear which team was at fault for the game not being played.
The Kansas City Chiefs narrowly avoided a forfeit late last year when they discovered that an equipment container did not make it to Boston for their game against the New England Patriots.
Option 5: Think Nike — just do it
As of now, the #Titans-#Steelers and #Texans-#Vikings games are both on for Sunday. However, the NFL is evaluating the situation and will adjust if needed as more information is gathered. Teams are still working through contact tracing data, etc.
A lot of moving parts.— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) September 29, 2020
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Titans and Steelers are preparing to play Sunday, but that can change if more players test positive. If not, the Titans can hold virtual practices and move forward with the players who tested negative, which would probably put them at a disadvantage since they would be unable to take the practice field.
