NFL Announces New Date for Titans-Steelers Game
The Tennessee Titans’ game against the Pittsburgh Steelers will be played Oct. 25 at Nissan Stadium, the NFL announced Friday. Kickoff will be at noon (CT).
The contest originally was set for Sunday but was postponed due to the Titans’ current COVID-19 outbreak. According to reports, tests conducted Thursday revealed two more players have the virus, which brings to seven the number who have tested positive this week. Additionally, six staff members have tested positive.
Oct. 25 was to be the Titans’ bye week, and the Steelers were supposed to play the Baltimore Ravens on that day. With the change, the Baltimore and Pittsburgh will meet the following week (Nov. 1), which was supposed to be an open date for the Ravens and Steelers. Baltimore’s bye week will now happen a week earlier (Oct. 25).
With the postponement of this week’s contest, the Titans and Steelers are considered to have a bye this week.
Barring any more alterations due to COVID-19, the Titans will play 13 straight games to conclude the regular season.
Next on the schedule is an Oct. 11 matchup with the Buffalo Bills followed by an Oct. 18 contest against the Houston Texans, although it seems possible that the Buffalo game could be in jeopardy as well as positive tests continue to mount. Both games are set for Nissan Stadium.
“What we're focused on as a team right now is using the these next few days like we would a normal bye week, to mentally and physically prepare ourselves for a push for the rest of the season, that's what I explained to the team,” coach Mike Vrabel said Thursday. “… However many [games] we have to play in a row, that's what we will prepare for. But our singular focus is on the next week, which would be Buffalo.”
Tickets purchased for Sunday will be honored on Oct. 25 and additional seats will be sold. Under the city’s plan to allow fans to attend games, attendance on that date can be 15 percent of stadium capacity. That is up from the 10 percent limit that was in place for this week.
