A COVID-19 surge has hit the NFL, beginning with the Tennessee Titans before spreading to the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs. These outbreaks have forced the league to delay several games.
Efforts are still being made to reschedule the Patriots vs. Chiefs game for either Monday or Tuesday in Kansas City. More worrying, however, is the constant stream of positive tests coming out of the Titans' camp over the last five days. This trend seriously threatens their upcoming October 11th clash with Buffalo and could lead to more widespread changes in the league's calendar.
Following the postponement of the Sunday matchup between the Patriots and the Chiefs, the NFL shifted the Colts-Bears game to take over the vacated time slot.
The situation in Tennessee has worsened after two more staff members tested positive, bringing the total count to 18. Both the league and the organization are keeping the identities of these individuals private, and Coach Mike Vrabel confirmed on Wednesday that he would not be releasing any names.
The issues for the Titans started on September 24th when cornerback Greg Mabin was placed on the COVID-19 list. Following linebacker coach Shane Bowen's positive test on September 26th, the team now has a total of eight players and seven staff members sidelined. As a result, their game against Pittsburgh was postponed and eventually moved to October 25th. This shift also affected the Ravens, who will now play Pittsburgh on November 1st, with Baltimore's bye week shifted to Week 7.
Titans’ game on Sunday against Pittsburg was first postponed and then was later rescheduled to October 25 by the NFL. The Ravens will now play Pittsburgh on November 1 as Baltimore’s bye as moved to Week 7 of this season.
Fortunately, the Minnesota Vikings remained clear of the virus after Friday's round of testing, meaning their road game against Houston will proceed as planned this Sunday.
On Friday, NFL officials and the players' union met to discuss the ongoing crisis within the Tennessee Titans, whose season is now in serious jeopardy. Following these talks, the NFL announced a joint agreement to continue daily testing for the foreseeable future to curb the spread.