The NFL has concerns about the Tennessee Titans beyond COVID-19 issues.
According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, the league is cautiously optimistic about the Titans’ scheduled Tuesday game against the Buffalo Bills going ahead. The team was able to get in a practice on Sunday with limited staff and the permission of the NFL.
This is a big deal for one key reason.
The Titans have not played since Sept. 27. Until Saturday, they had not practiced since Sept. 29. The league shut down team facilities due to the COVID-19 outbreak, and the players were unable to keep in shape. Subsequently, according to Mortensen, both the NFL and NFLPA have been concerned about the team’s physical conditioning ahead of a return to game action.
The concern is reasonable. While the Titans have now had their functional bye week, teams typically still practice before and after the weekend off. The Titans haven’t been able to do that. That’s an abrupt stoppage in physical activity in the middle of an NFL season.
In spite of the limitations, there’s reason to believe that the Titans may have gotten more work in than they were allowed to.
