As the Tennessee Titans prepared for their week three matchup in Minnesota, a hiccup in their plan emerged. It was not a flaw in their game plan, nor was it an injury, but something much more dangerous: a positive case of COVID-19.
When newly signed cornerback Greg Mabin became the Titans’ first positive test, there was no immediate cause for panic. There are procedures that the NFL and the Players’ Union have put in place to prevent a massive outbreak, and Mabin had spent a limited amount of time in the team’s facilities.
Then on Saturday Sept. 26th, the eve of their game with the Minnesota Vikings, outside linebacker coach Shane Bowen tested positive for the virus. An isolated incident now emerged as a pattern.
Despite the distraction, the Titans-Vikings game went on as planned with Tennessee squeaking by with a win, 31-30.
The major bombshell dropped on the league the following Tuesday. Eight new positive cases were found in the organization. Among them were three players and five coaches or other personnel. With a widespread outbreak confirmed, the Titans immediately shutdown the team facilities and canceled all official in-person meetings and practices.
A key word there is “official” as reports soon began to swirl about unauthorized practices, which would be a direct violation of the NFL’s COVID-19 protocols.
Sources of Titans insider and ESPN alumnus Paul Kuharsky confirmed that Tennessee defensive backs held unauthorized practices on the 29th and 30th of September. Kuharsky also offered potential evidence of an unauthorized Titans practice at a local high school that featured more than a dozen people, including quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Other troubling reports include allegations that the Titans organization did not strictly enforce all COVID-19 protocols in team facilities. Infractions include not wearing league-mandated wrist bands used for contact tracing and multiple players not wearing masks when walking round the facilities.
Mike Sando of The Athletic reported that multiple executives of other franchises knew that it was an “open secret” among the league that the Titans were not strictly enforcing the wearing of masks on team property.
These reports led the NFL to send out a memo to all teams reiterating the punishments for violating COVID-19 protocols, which could range from fines to forfeiture of draft picks and games, including all salaries relating to the forfeited games.
As of Wednesday Oct. 14, the league offices have not handed down any punishments to the Titans for violating health protocols. Instead, the league has moved heaven and earth to reschedule the Titans’ games.
As cases continued to mount, the league attempted to move the week four Steelers-Titans matchup to the next Monday or Tuesday. As the tally reached eight players and seven personnel on Friday Oct. 2, the NFL postponed the game until week seven.
The following Monday featured their first day without any positive tests in a week. The following day carried the same news. Later that week, additional cases brough the total cases to 24, including 13 more players. In response, the league pushed their week five matchup against the Buffalo Bills to Tuesday Oct. 13.
The worst of it, however, seems to be over. No new cases on Monday and Tuesday meant that the Titans were clear to play their first game in 17 days, and the only second Tuesday night NFL game since the 1940’s.
On over two weeks of rest and with almost as long to prepare a game plan, the Titans easily picked apart a Bills team that was missing multiple key pieces due to injury in a 42-16 rout.
As the Titans’ timeline has shown, however, two days of negative tests does not mean that they are free from the virus. As the Titans seemingly wrap up their own outbreak, it is yet to be seen if Tuesday’s game will lead to an outbreak among the Bills.