With Hurricane Ian hitting Tampa Bay earlier this morning there are many questions in the air. Apart from the hoping that everyone is safe and indoors, there are no answers to where the Buccaneers will be playing. Tampa Bay was scheduled to be hosting Kansas City Sunday Night and the NFL has announced that it is monitoring the situation. This is a scenario that we haven’t seen since Hurricane Katrina. In 2005 the Saints split time between Tiger Stadium at LSU and the AlamoDome in San Antonio.
#Ian's maximum sustained winds are now 155 mph, just short of Category 5 status (157mph.)
This storm is intensifying fast. pic.twitter.com/ng5N6URjlM
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) September 28, 2022
What Has Already Happened
Tampa Bay has temporarily moved to Miami to practice but they will not be playing in Miami. The NFL plans for them to play in Tampa Bay, but there is a more than likely chance that the game will be moved. Hurricane Ian has already done considerable damage to the area as Hurricane Ian is expected to affect Florida’s west coast until Thursday night. This is also the first major Hurricane to hit Tampa Bay in over 100 years.
Minnesota
Minnesota is expected to be the home away from home for Tampa Bay if the game is moved. The reason for this being that the Vikings are in London this weekend against the Saints. Minnesota is the top option but as a team that plays on a grass field Tampa Bay can veto that option. If they so choose to play on a grass field.
Other Options
With Tennessee away this weekend at the Colts, Nissan Stadium is in play as well. That’s if Tampa decides that they do not want to play on artificial turf. The only issue with this would be that the NFL would have to approve this before Friday Thursday afternoon. This is a scenario that we haven’t seen since Hurricane Katrina. The Saints facility is also an option as they are the closest facility to Tampa that is available this weekend.
Tampa Bay is currently a two point underdog. If the game is moved out of Tampa Bay I expect the line to shift significantly towards the Chiefs. For more updates on the situation keep an eye on Gridiron Heroics.
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