KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With Hurricane Ian bearing down on Florida, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in discussions with the NFL about the status of Sunday’s game.
The Bucs are scheduled to host the Kansas City Chiefs for a 7:20 p.m. Central kickoff, but the game may have to be moved if Hurricane Ian makes landfall near the Tampa/St. Petersburg metropolitan area.
“Right now, we’re still monitoring things but we’re working things out with the league and we should have a decision hopefully later on today about what we’re going to do,” Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles said Monday, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
“Right now, we’re still monitoring things but we’re working things out with the league and we should have a decision hopefully later on today about what we’re going to do,” Bowles said Monday.
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) September 26, 2022
Bowles also indicated the Chiefs-Bucs game could move to Monday night, which would require the NFL to flex a different game on the SNF on NBC slot to replace it.
"Possibly, if it gets to that," Bowles said.
As an NBC affiliate, KSHB airs all Sunday Night Football games from NBC.
Bowles also said the Bucs also are making alternative arrangements for practice on Wednesday and Thursday in the event Hurricane Ian strikes Florida’s west coast, according to Stroud.
Stroud and others reported later Monday that Tampa Bay would shift practice to Miami for the rest of the week to avoid any potential storm-related disruptions.
The reigning Stanley Cup runner-up Tampa Bay Lightning also decided to postpone two exhibition games, Wednesday against Carolina and Thursday against Nashville, that were scheduled to be played in Tampa.
Ian strengthened into a hurricane Monday morning, spawning the possibility of tornadoes in the Florida Keys and southern Florida.
Some parts of the state were being evacuated.
Hurricane Ian is expected to strike western Cuba on Tuesday morning and make its way north through the Gulf of Mexico with a possible landfall near Tampa by Thursday morning.
A spokesperson for the Chiefs said he didn't have any information on contingency plans for Sunday's games. The NFL had yet to return a request for comment from KSHB 41.
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