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    Coronavirus: Three Titans players test positive, putting Sunday's big game vs. Steelers in potential jeopardy

    The NFL might have its first major coronavirus problem.
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    College football has had numerous games canceled/postponed already due to COVID-19 outbreaks on teams. The NFL has been fortunate so far, but that might be about to change. The NFL Network's Tom Pelissero first reported that the Tennessee Titans had three new player positives and five new personnel positives in the most recent testing. Both the Titans and Minnesota Vikings, who hosted Tennessee on Sunday, have suspended all club activities as of Tuesday.

    "Out of the abundance of caution, the organization has decided to work remotely today as we follow NFL protocols related to the Covid-19 virus. Several tests have come back positive & are working through the process of confirming them," the Titans said in a statement.

    On Monday, Titans coach Mike Vrabel revealed that outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen did not travel with the team to Minnesota after a positive test result Saturday. 

    Needless to say, if the Titans can't use their facility and practice, then they aren't going to face Pittsburgh in the lone matchup of unbeaten teams in Week 4. The Steelers currently are 1.5-point favorites on the NFL odds. The Titans were going to allow fans (about 10 percent of capacity) at Nissan Stadium for the first time this season. 

    Minnesota, meanwhile, is scheduled to visit fellow winless team Houston.  The Vikings released a statement on Tuesday saying no test administered by the team has come back positive. 

    ESPN's Dianna Russini reported that a league source suggested the NFL is "shutting Tennessee down until Saturday," barring coaches and players from entering team facilities until that point. Players (no players have been individually named) and personnel who tested positive will quarantine and those in close contact with those who tested positive will need to test negative before they can participate in any club activities.

    The last postponement of an NFL game was in 2017 when Hurricane Irma forced a game between the Miami Dolphins and Tampa Bay Buccaneers to be pushed back. The NFL has not built in extra weeks into the 2020 regular season for a potential makeup date. The Titans and Steelers don't share a bye week with Tennessee's in Week 7 and Pittsburgh's in Week 8.

    Who wins every NFL game this week? And which teams cover more than 50 percent of the time? Get picks here from the SportsLine Projection Model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times and ranked in the Top 10 on NFLPickWatch three of the past four years on straight-up NFL picks.

    SportsLine Staff

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