Titans Players 'Somewhat Shocked' by Week 4 Postponement After COVID-19 Outbreak

The matchup between the Tennessee Titans and Pittsburgh Steelers, scheduled for Sunday, has been postponed after Tennessee registered 12 positive tests for COVID-19 this week. 

And head coach Mike Vrabel told reporters the team was surprised by the NFL's decision:

"I think they were somewhat shocked. They wanted to play. They were preparing to play. But I think that they understood and realized why the decision was made. I think that they'll handle this like they do everything else—with professionalism, with understanding and a compassion to not only ourselves, but those people that have been affected."

The team has had its practice facility closed since Tuesday, with Vrabel saying Thursday he hopes it can reopen by Monday or Tuesday. 

"We'll probably have different protocols that we'll have to follow when we go back into the building," he said. "And we'll do exactly what the league asks us to do for the safety of the players and their families, and our staff and their families."

NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills would not set a timetable for any potential return date, however:

As for the makeup of the Titans-Steelers game, that remains up in the air. Tennessee has its bye in Week 7, while Pittsburgh has a Week 8 bye. It's possible the teams could play in Week 7 and the Steelers matchup vs. the Baltimore Ravens could be pushed back to Week 8 since Baltimore also has a bye that week, Erik Bacharach of the Nashville Tennessean speculated.

The NFL could also play the game after the regular season, pushing back the start of the playoffs by one week. In the event that any other postponement happens this season—a definite possibility amid a pandemic—the NFL would already have a week dedicated to those make-up games. 

As for whether Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin is sweating his team's early bye or the possibility the Steelers will play 13 straight weeks, well...

"We don't care," he told reporters. So there you have it.