The Tennessee Titans and New England Patriots had no positive tests for the novel coronavirus returned Friday morning, a step toward both teams being able to play in their rescheduled games early next week.
The results were confirmed by a person familiar with the results. Neither team was expected to practice Friday but that would change over the weekend if there are no further positive tests.
The NFL announced Thursday that it was rescheduling the Patriots’ game in Foxborough, Massachusetts, against the Denver Broncos, originally scheduled for Sunday, for Monday at 5 p.m. The Titans’ game scheduled for Sunday in Nashville against the Buffalo Bills was pushed back until Tuesday at 7 p.m.
The schedule maneuvers are contingent upon no further coronavirus-related issues for the Titans or Patriots, according to a person familiar with the league’s planning. If the Titans-Bills game is played Tuesday as currently planned, the Bills’ following game scheduled for Thursday night against the Kansas City Chiefs in Buffalo would be delayed until the following weekend.
“These scheduling decisions were made to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and game day personnel and in consultation with medical experts,” the NFL said late Thursday in its written announcement of the changes.
The test results Friday for the Titans ended two straight days with positive results amid a continuing outbreak on the team. The Titans’ facility was shut down last week and 21 members of the organization, including a dozen players and nine staff members, have tested positive for the virus since the morning of the shutdown. Counting two positive results from the previous week, 23 members of the organization have tested positive since Sept. 24.
The NFL and the NFL Players Association are investigating the origins of the outbreak and the Titans could face stern disciplinary measures by the league if they’re found to have violated the sport’s coronavirus protocols. Part of that probe involves corroborating reports that some Titans players participated in impermissible workouts last week away from the team’s facility, according to multiple people familiar with the investigation.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told teams in a memo Monday that any violations of protocols resulting in schedule adjustments or affecting other teams could result in game forfeits or the loss of draft picks.
The NFL would face a schedule dilemma if the Titans-Bills game cannot be played Tuesday. The Titans already had their game last Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Nashville postponed until Oct. 25 in Week 7 of the season; they’re scheduled to play every week for the rest of the regular season. The league’s options at that point might include cancellation, forfeit, or adding a Week 18 to the season, which the NFL has begun to mull as a possible contingency.
Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore, the reigning NFL defensive player of the year, confirmed Wednesday that he’d tested positive. Gilmore played in the Patriots’ game Monday night at Kansas City. That game had been postponed from Sunday because of positive tests for both teams. Patriots quarterback Cam Newton tested positive in results returned last Friday night, a person familiar with the situation confirmed last Saturday.
Gilmore spoke with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on the field following Monday night’s game. Mahomes said at midweek that he’d suffered a postgame lapse after being careful, on and off the field, to follow proper distancing measures. But he has been unaffected thus far and the Chiefs had no positive test results Friday morning, according to a person with knowledge of the testing. The Chiefs host the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
The Chiefs confirmed last Saturday that they were placing practice squad quarterback Jordan Ta’amu, who reportedly had tested positive, on their COVID-19 reserve list, which is for players who test positive and those found through contact-tracing to have been exposed to the virus.
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