New NFL positive COVID-19 tests include two Titans, Patriots CB Stephon Gilmore and a Raiders player

For two days it seemed like the Tennessee Titans were moving forward after last week’s outbreak, but now they’re back to square one.

Reports indicate two more Titans players tested positive for COVID-19. This is bad for the NFL, as the Titans are now in a position that affects the whole league.

Tennessee’s facilities were scheduled to open soon, but that’s been put on hold. What also could be put on hold is this weekend’s game against the Buffalo Bills. It’s hard to imagine how the NFL would maneuver through that scenario, given that Tennessee will play 13 games in the next 13 weeks. There is no more built-in time to add a game before the playoffs.

The Titans are facing all types of disadvantages. They have nine players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Two more players might be getting added. A shorthanded roster will have minimal reps. And if the Titans don’t play, forfeiting might be an option.

Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore of the Patriots was also added to the COVID-19 list after testing positive Tuesday.

Week 4′s Patriots-Chiefs game was moved to Monday because two Patriots players, one of whom was quarterback Cam Newton, had tested positive for COVID-19. Now the team learned about Gilmore a day after he played against Kansas City.

No other Patriots player tested positive during Tuesday’s round of testing, but history shows that there will have to be another day or two of these results. Reports also indicate that no Chiefs players tested positive.

The NFL announced stricter testing protocols after last week’s Titans outbreak, but with Gilmore’s news and a Raiders player testing positive for COVID-19, the hits keep coming. The good news is that there haven’t been any other outbreaks, but the bad news is that the league is playing with fire with all of the latest individual positive tests.