The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are scheduled to play the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday. But since the state of Florida is dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, will the game be played at the Buccaneers’ home stadium or relocated to Minnesota? As mentioned by Deadline, the NFL said on Thursday that the game will be played in Tampa on Sunday night. Hurricane Ian landed as a Category 4 storm on Wednesday, with the main force hitting Florida’s west coast around Fort Meyers. Since that’s 90 miles away from the Buccaneers’ home stadium, the league decided not to move the game, which will air on NBC.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the many thousands in the Southwest Florida region who have been severely impacted by Hurricane Ian,” the Bucs said in a statement today. “We are also very thankful that the Tampa Bay area was spared the most damaging consequences of this powerful storm. We have informed the NFL, after consulting with local and state agencies, that we are ready to play Sunday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium as originally scheduled.”
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On Wednesday, the NFL announced a contingency plan in place to move the game to U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, the home of the Minnesota Vikings who are playing in London this weekend. On Monday, the Buccaneers relocated to Miami to avoid the storm’s impact.
This news comes as the Buccaneers announced they are donating $1 million to assist in relief efforts across Florida. “The destruction suffered in Southwest Florida and the damage inflicted throughout our state will be felt for some time,” Buccaneers Co-Owner Darcie Glazer Kassewitz said in a statement. “It will take entire communities resiliently working together for an extended period, and our family is committed to aiding in the recovery. Our thoughts and prayers are with the countless people affected, the heroic first responders and all of those helping to keep others safe.”
The Buccaneers-Chiefs game will feature two of the top quarterbacks in the NFL — Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes. The last time the two teams met was in Super Bowl LV, and the Buccaneers came away with a 31-9 win. Brady won his seventh Super Bowl and was named Super Bowl MVP for the fifth time.
