According to reports, the NFL is making pre-game plans in case Hurricane Joaquin makes landfall in the D.C. area this weekend. (Getty)
NFL officials are reportedly exploring a variety of options surrounding Sunday’s Eagles-Redskins game ahead of the expected landfall of Hurricane Joaquin this weekend.
According to a report by the Washington Post, the league is “monitoring the forecast and having discussions with both teams,” per Greg Aiello, the NFL’s senior vice president of communications.
Aiello declined to provide any details on what those discussions entailed but there are already rumors that the NFL plans to postponed the game should Joaquin take a toll on the greater D.C. area this weekend. Of course, different forecasts have different projections for the weekend’s weather-related events and there is no concrete timetable for when Joaquin is expected to arrive. That is if he arrives at all.
CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora added that, should the weather pose too much of a safety threat, the NFL would likely give both teams a Week 4 bye and make up the game on Week 8. Philadelphia is slated to travel to Washington on Saturday, so the league will need to have a decision by then.
This isn’t the first time the NFL has been forced to make game-time contingency plans based on the weather. Two games in the last five years have been moved to Detroit’s Ford Field due to heavy snow in other league locations. The entire Saints’ 2005 home schedule was moved after the damage Hurricane Katrina inflicted on the Superdome and a pair of Dolphins games have been postponed or delayed to due to hurricane-like conditions.
The NFL also isn’t the only league making pre-Joaquin plans. The Big Ten Network cancelled its on-site coverage of Saturday’s Michigan-Maryland game in College Park due to uncertainty about weather conditions. The Conference is also considering moving or postponing the game depending on the severity of the weather.
Big Ten reiterates statement I got last night — still monitoring. “safety of game participants and fans is paramount.” Says no timetable
The Eagles and Redskins are, currently, still scheduled to face off at 1 p.m. on Sunday at FedEx Field.
Make sure to check back here ahead of this weekend’s kickoff for all of the latest updates on Joaquin and his NFL-related plans.
