Getty The NFL has informed the Vikings their Week 4 game may be rescheduled due positive coronavirus tests reported by the Titans.
The Minnesota Vikings‘ best chance of picking up their first win of the season could be squandered this week.
The impacts of the Vikings’ one-point loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday have bled into Week 4 as the Titans reported three players have tested positive for coronavirus, along with five staff personnel on Tuesday. Both the Titans and Vikings have closed their team facilities, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reported.
The NFL has alerted both teams that their Week 4 games are subject to being rescheduled, meaning the Vikings could miss out on the opportunity to face an 0-3 Texans team.
The NFL has alerted the Vikings and Titans and their opponents for Week 4 that their games may be rescheduled.
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In-Person Team Activities Cancelled
The Star Tribune’s Ben Goessling said that the “Vikings had people in the building (TCO Performance Center) this morning and were going through daily COVID testing as of about 8:00 am.”
Fortunately, the Vikings had no players report positive tests the same day the Titans did, but until thorough contract tracing can be completed of the 48 people in close contact with those who tested positive, the Vikings’ practice facility will be closed, ESPN’s Dan Graziano reported.
The Vikings issued this statement Tuesday morning after closing the Vikings’ practice facilities:
Today the NFL notified us that members of the Tennessee Titans organization have tested positive for COVID-19. As of this morning, we have not received any positive results from Vikings testing following Sunday’s game. Per the NFL protocol, we will suspend in-person club activities and close TCO Performance Center immediately. We will work closely with the NFL and NFLPA to monitor the situation, perform additional testing and determine when the facility can reopen. We will provide further updates regarding this week’s football schedule when appropriate.
Goessling reported later on Tuesday that the Vikings practice facilities will be closed on Wednesday as well, cutting the Vikings potential in-person prep days to just Thursday and Friday this week.
NFL’s 1st Major Test
GettyThis week will be a barometer for how the NFL handles coronavirus the rest of the season.
What measures the NFL takes in this first examination of their coronavirus protocols will speak volumes to how the rest of the season will be handled. The NFL has planned to handle rescheduling games for COVID-19 concerns on a case-by-case basis, with the Vikings and Titans games becoming the barometer of their commitment to player and personnel safety.
The Titans have reportedly shut down their facilities until Saturday, putting their game at much more of a risk of being rescheduled.
The Vikings, on the other hand, do not share the same threat if all team tests come back negative again. Until then, they will now have to revert to their preseason preparation for their Week 4 matchup with the Texans.
Players were given Tuesday off and travel on Saturday, leaving little time to prepare for Sunday’s game. If the Vikings miss any more in-person time, it will call attention to their preparation and potential disadvantage they may have — even if no players test positive for coronavirus.
The news couldn’t have come at a worse time after an encouraging game offensively for the Vikings against the Titans. Starting the season 0-3 for the first time since 2013 and the sixth time in franchise history, the Vikings’ momentum may have come to a screeching halt if they’re unable to put together a confident game prep plan for players remotely.
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Trevor Squire is a Heavy contributor covering the Minnesota Vikings and journalism graduate from the University of Minnesota — Twin Cities. Connect with him on Twitter @trevordsquire and join our Vikings community at Heavy on Vikings on Facebook.