The COVID-19 situation with the Titans isn't getting any better.
Another player and front office personnel member tested positive on Thursday, bringing the total number of people within the organization who have the virus to 11 and forcing the league to postpone the Titans' game this week with the Steelers to a later date.
The league released a statement announcing the change.
The Steelers-Titans game has officially been rescheduled to later in the season by the NFL. #Steelers #dkps pic.twitter.com/qa8x2wicxd
— Dale Lolley (@dlolley_pgh) October 1, 2020
The NFL initially said after first postponing the game that it would be played Monday or Tuesday after three players and five front office members tested positive in the aftermath of the Titans' win at Minnesota last Sunday.
But another player tested positive on Wednesday and the additional positive tests on Thursday -- resulting from tests performed Wednesday -- have the league concerned the outbreak is not anywhere near under control with now 11 members of the organization having tested positive with new cases cropping up each day this week.
Defensive back Greg Mabin was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 List by the Titans on Thursday. Mabin had been signed to the team's practice squad Sept. 21. He joins nose tackle DaQuan Jones, long-snapper Beau Brinkley, linebacker Kamalei Correa and tight end Tommy Hudson, another practice squad player, who all tested positive earlier this week.
This marks the first time this season the NFL has had to postpone a game because of COVID-related issues.
The Steelers held their regularly scheduled practice Thursday, bumping it up by 45 minutes. They also ended it after just an hour and Mike Tomlin sent his players into their bye week. The Steelers will return to the UMPC-Rooney Sports Complex to begin preparations for the Eagles in Week 5 starting Monday.
But, per NFL rules already put in place, players must still be tested daily, even during the bye week, so leaving Pittsburgh wasn't a possibility, regardless of when the bye week occurred.
"I'm disappointed because we were getting ready to play and we won't get an opportunity to do so," Tomlin said. "But we understand we're in a different environment in 2020, and so we're adjusting accordingly. But there's disappointment, no question. We worked extremely hard at the beginning of this week in preparation for what we thought was an opportunity against an undefeated team in their venue. You lean in on those opportunities. We're not getting the opportunity to do that. We're getting a bye week, so we're going to make the best of that."
One possibility that has been floated for the game is to have the Steelers and Titans play in Week 7, which is when Tennessee's bye week had been scheduled to occur. The Steelers are currently scheduled to travel to Baltimore that week.
But the Ravens and Steelers had been slated to have their bye in Week 8. That game in Baltimore would be played that weekend.
Tomlin said he has been informed of some potential plans for the game to be played, but didn't wish to share them until they become solidified, saying he doesn't want to talk about the hypothetical plans.
If the league does go with the plan to shift the Week 7 and Week 8 games, the Steelers, who are off to a 3-0 start, would then have to play 13 consecutive weeks. Their next two games Oct. 11 against the Eagles and Oct. 18 against Cleveland are already scheduled to be played at Heinz Field, meaning the team will play four consecutive home games for the first time in the modern era.
But that also means seven of their final 11 games will be played on the road this season without a bye week.
Tomlin's response to that?
"We do not care," he said
This will mark the first time the Steelers have had a bye week this early in the season since 2012. But that season, the team had played two of its first three games on the road. The Steelers played five of their final eight games at home that season.
Tomlin has preached to his team since the beginning of training camp in late July that if one of them fail a COVID-19 test during the season, they all fail. Even though this failure didn't occur with his team, it still affected the Steelers greatly.
But he said he isn't using this as a teachable moment.
"We've continually respected the environment that we're in, we don't need tangible, miserable examples to reinforce that," Tomlin said. "We have made a conscious effort to be forward in our thinking and proactive in terms of our approach, and so that's just simply going to continue."
None of this takes away from the disappointment, however.
The Steelers spent the first four days of the week preparing to play a game. That means hours spent formulating a game plan and watching film in preparation to face the Titans has been wasted.
It adds a whole new meaning to the term bye week. The Steelers can kiss this week and the time they spent preparing to play the Titans goodbye.
"I think we're all understanding of the situation," Tomlin said. "There's not a lack of understanding. It's just that we live in these seven-day cycles. We had a game scheduled, and so we were going through a process. Not only is that physical work, that's mental work. We were readying ourselves for the opportunity, and we're not getting it. It is a letdown."
