Franchise, City Officials Say No Fans at Home Opener

Nissan Stadium's seating area will be empty when the Tennessee Titans face the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sept. 20.

NASHVILLE – There is no doubt that the Tennessee Titans’ homefield advantage has eroded over the years.

Long gone are the days when Fred Miller, then a tackle with the Rams, false started six times in one afternoon because – in part – he could not hear the snap count. Of course, it didn’t help that he was lined up opposite Jevon Kearse, the eventual Defensive Rookie of the Year, in that October 1999 game that served as a Super Bowl XXIV preview.

The city’s emergence as a tourist destination combined with one division title in the last 17 seasons, back-to-back years tied for the NFL’s worst record (2014-15), a series of coaching changes (five head coaches in nine seasons from 2010-18) and other factors conspired to – first – end the franchise’s long sellout streak and – later – attract fans of visiting teams who wanted to cheer for their team in another building.

Whatever edge Tennessee currently has at Nissan Stadium will not exist for the Sept. 20 home-opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Franchise officials announced Tuesday that the contest, which is part of the NFL’s Week 2 lineup, will be played without fans.

It is the only September home game on the Titans’ schedule, and – for now, at least – the decision to keep out all spectators only extends to the end of that month.

"There's certainly no denying that we wish we would be opening our home schedule on Sept. 20 in front of fans," Titans President/CEO Burke Nihill said in a release. "NFL football is a game meant to be played in front of a loud, cheering crowd and no one desires that outcome more than us. However, these are not normal times and as civic leaders in this great city, we understand and support Mayor [John] Cooper and Metro Nashville Public Health Department's decision (Tuesday) to delay welcoming fans into Nissan Stadium."

Franchise officials alerted season ticket holders earlier in the offseason that it was likely attendance at home games this fall would be limited.

Tennessee ranked 21st in the NFL in 2019 with an average of 64,509 on hand for its eight home games (93.3 percent of capacity). That was down marginally from 2018 (64,520).

The average attendance for all NFL games in 2019 was 66,151.

“It’s going to be definitely a different environment that we have to adjust to, and our fans have to adjust to as well,” running back Derrick Henry said. “We know we definitely want them there but it’s a different time in the world, and you just got to adjust to what’s going on.

“Hopefully, as time goes on, we will be able to have some fans in there.”

The Titans will really begin to feel the effects if the current policy is extended beyond September. Tennessee is scheduled to play at home on Oct. 4 (Pittsburgh), Oct. 11 (Buffalo) and Oct. 18 (Houston). All three were among the AFC’s top seven teams last season.

The team is 95-73 all-time at Nissan Stadium. However, it has won more than half its home games just three times in the last eight seasons. In 2019, the Titans were 4-4 in front of their fans, tied for the worst among the NFL’s 12 playoff teams.

Tennessee is 16-5 all-time and has won six straight home games against Jacksonville.

“We would love to see those people in there as soon as they can be there,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “And we’re hopeful that at some point in time there are going to be some fans in there. Unfortunately, they’re not going to be in there for the Jacksonville game.”