No new positive COVID-19 tests were returned Monday from daily testing of the Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots, according to multiple reports.
The Patriots are not playing this week due to concerns around the coronavirus. Their game was postponed from Sunday to Monday and ultimately scratched from the Week 5 slate. The Titans are “on track” to play the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday, according to The Tennessean.
Titans struggle to contain COVID-19 outbreak
The Titans shut down team facilities on Sunday following a positive COVID-19 test for a staff member, the team announced.
“This morning we learned that a staff member tested positive,” a brief statement from the team said on Sunday. “We have temporarily closed our facility and are in communication with the league on the next steps.”
The staff member was not identified. Tennessee’s scheduled Week 4 home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers was postponed until Oct. 25.
Since Sept. 26 — the day before their 31-30 road win over the Minnesota Vikings — the Titans have seen 24 players and staff members test positive for COVID-19. Among the players affected are their top two receivers, Corey Davis and Adam Humphries.
Following two days of negative tests, the Titans (3-0) finally returned to their practice facility on Saturday for the first time since it closed on Sept. 29. But the NFL is investigating whether the team followed protocols before and during the situation, as an informal players workout on Sept. 30 at Montgomery Bell Academy in Nashville reportedly raised the league’s ire.
Patriots remain idle
New England is entering the third consecutive week of schedule changes that began when quarterback Cam Newton tested positive for COVID-19 one day before the Patriots were scheduled to play the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4. The game was postponed one day, and the Patriots flew to Kansas City for a Monday night game before returning home immediately after. Last week, cornerback Stephon Gilmore tested positive.
Denver is now scheduled to play at New England on Sunday, moving the Week 5 game back one full week.
–Field Level Media ()