LaFleur: ‘It Only Takes One’ to Ruin COVID Efforts

Matt LaFleur's messaging will only be bolstered following the NFL's decision to postpone this week's Steelers-Titans game.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The NFL mostly got through the first three weeks of the season unscathed from COVID, but the league on Thursday announced the postponement of Sunday’s Pittsburgh Steelers-Tennessee Titans matchup.

With two more positive tests surfacing on Thursday, the total is up to 11 members of the Titans – five players and six staff members.

“The Pittsburgh-Tennessee game scheduled for Week 4 will be rescheduled to later this season after one additional Titans player and one personnel member tested positive for COVID-19 today,” the NFL said in a statement. “An announcement of the new game date will be made shortly

“The decision to postpone the game was made to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel. The Titans facility will remain closed and the team will continue to have no in-person activities until further notice.”

Among the NFL’s 30 cities, Green Bay is in the midst of the heaviest COVID attack. According to the NFLPA via Johns Hopkins University, there have been 66.6 new cases per day per 100,000 population in the Green Bay area over a rolling 14-day average. That’s more than the next three cities, Houston (28.7), Kansas City (17.8) and Nashville, Tenn., (17.0) combined.

“That's something we talk about each and every day with our players, is the responsibility that we have to one another,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said before Thursday’s practice. “I probably sound like a broken record up here, but it only takes one person to get it, and it can kind of throw a wrench in this whole operation. … I’m really happy with how our guys have taken it to heart and have done everything in our power to be as safe and responsible as possible.”

As noted by SI.com’s All Titans, Tennessee is the first NFL team to be hit with a COVID-19 outbreak and, subsequently, the first to force a change in the schedule. With some fortuitous bye weeks, the game can easily be rescheduled. The Titans’ bye is in Week 7, when Pittsburgh is scheduled to play Baltimore. The Steelers and Ravens both have their bye in Week 8. Theoretically, the Titans-Steelers matchup could be moved to Week 7 and the Pittsburgh-Baltimore matchup shifted back to Week 8.

The game against Pittsburgh was to be the Titans’ first with fans in the stands. The crowd at Nissan Stadium was to be limited to 10 percent of capacity.

“Whenever the league says the game will take place, then we have to be ready to play as soon as we step on that field, no matter what kind of obstacles and circumstances we have to overcome along the way,” quarterback Ryan Tannehill said Wednesday. “… We have to be able to overcome adversity, it's just a different type of adversity. We've done it throughout this season so far a few weeks in, and showed our mental strength that we can find a way to win games and this is just another challenge along that road.”

Tennessee played at Minnesota on Sunday. The Vikings remain COVID-free as of Thursday and will play the Houston Texans, as scheduled, this week.