Steelers-Titans postponed after positive COVID-19 tests in Tennessee

[ESPN]

Sunday’s game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans has been postponed to either Monday or Tuesday.

The NFL said in a statement Wednesday that a new game date and time will be announced as soon as possible, adding that the postponement will “allow additional time for further daily COVID-19 testing and to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel.”

The postponement follows positive COVID-19 tests among the Titans from four players — including starting nose tackle DaQuan Jones, long-snapper Beau Brinkley and practice squad tight end Tommy Hudson — and five team personnel members this week.

Titans coach Mike Vrabel said Wednesday that some of the players who tested positive were experiencing flu-like symptoms. The Titans have closed their team facilities until Saturday.

“I know there’s going to be a lot of questions about the game and about who’s to blame and where it started. Nobody’s to blame. We’re in a pandemic,” Vrabel said. “… This is a very unfortunate situation, but one that we’re confident that we will be able to handle safely with the football team and the players’ best interests in mind.”

The Minnesota Vikings, who played the Titans on Sunday, had no positive results in their latest round of coronavirus testing, an NFL spokesperson told ESPN’s Dan Graziano earlier Wednesday.

The Vikings, who closed their team facilities Tuesday, play at the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Texans coach Bill O’Brien said Wednesday that his team was told by the league to expect to play, adding that the team had its own scare with two “false positives” before playing the Steelers last Sunday.