NFL Moves Titans-Steelers Game to October 25 Due to COVID-19 Postponement

The NFL has officially made the call on the Tennessee Titans-Pittsburgh Steelers game, which was supposed to be played this week. On Friday, the NFL announced the game will be played on Sunday, Oct. 25 (Week 7) at 1 p.m. Additionally, the Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens game that was scheduled for Oct. 25 will now be played on Nov. 1 (Week 8). The Titans and Steelers will have a bye this week and the Ravens bye will now be in Week 7 instead of Week 8.

The news comes after the Titans were forced the close their team facility earlier this week due to multiple positive COVID-19 tests. As of Friday, seven players have tested positive for the virus, which has led to NFL and NFLPA officials reportedly going to Nashville and investigating the situation. Titans coach Mike Vrabel talked about the team’s next step with the game being postponed.

“I think they were somewhat shocked – they wanted to play, and they were preparing to play,” Vrabel said on the team’s official website before the game was official moved to Oct. 25. “But I think that they understood and realized why the decision was made. They’ll handle this like they handle everything else. They’ll handle it with professionalism, with understanding and a compassion towards not only ourselves and those people that have been affected, but also Pittsburgh. The Steelers were preparing for a game and now they’ll have their scheduled changed as well.”

As for the Steelers, the team is disappointed they won’t be able to play this weekend but understand how serious the situation is. “We understand the nature of this environment we are in in 2020 and we are adjusting accordingly,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said on the team’s official website. There is disappointment. There is no question. We worked extremely hard at the beginning portion of this week in preparation for what we thought was an opportunity versus an undefeated team in their venue. You lean in on those opportunities. We are not getting an opportunity to do that.”

The Titans will now get as healthy as they can before their next game, which will be on Oct. 11 against the Buffalo Bills. However, if there are more new positive tests in the next few days, it’s possible the game could be pushed back, which could make things really interesting for the NFL.