The NFL is hopeful Sunday's Kansas City Chiefs-Tampa Bay Buccaneers game can take place as scheduled at the latter's Raymond James Stadium, but a Hurricane Ian contingency plan is in place.
If the game needs to move for weather-related safety reasons, it will be relocated to the Minnesota Vikings' U.S. Bank Stadium.
NFL executive vice president of communications Jeff Miller told reporters on Wednesday of the league's plan B.
He said the NFL is in contact with local authorities regarding the category four storm, which has made landfall in southwestern Florida with damaging winds reaching 155mph.
The Bucs have already evacuated Tampa, training at the Miami Dolphins' facility while they are in Cincinnati to play the Bengals on Thursday.
"We're going to try to go about business as usual, and it's a little different, but everybody's families are safe, so hopefully we can concentrate," Tampa Bay coach Todd Bowles said.
In addition to monitoring the hurricane and any potential flooding or destruction around Raymond James Stadium, the league is taking into consideration whether playing the game in Tampa would exhaust resources that could potentially be needed in disaster relief efforts.
The league has not revealed a deadline as to when a decision would be made for the location of the game, but Miller said it will still be played on Sunday rather than being pushed back.
"Until we know more about the storm, it's going to be difficult to make that decision," Miller said.
This would be the second time in as many seasons the NFL has moved a game due to weather after Hurricane Ida forced the Green Bay Packers-New Orleans Saints 2021 season opener to be moved to Jacksonville.
The Saints are facing the Vikings in London this Sunday, making Minnesota's stadium available.
"We can't control the outside forces," Bowles said. "Our thoughts are with the city of Tampa right now, but where we have to play ... hopefully it is Tampa and everything is fine; that means we're not damaged too much.
"But if we have to go play elsewhere, we just have to focus and lock in. Nobody's going to feel sorry for us, so we've got to be ready to play."
Dallas Cowboys beat Philadelphia Eagles to draw level in NFC East
The Dallas Cowboys drew even with the Philadelphia Eagles at the top of the NFC East as they beat their divisional rivals 33-13.
Dak Prescott threw for two touchdowns as the Cowboys won for a fifth successive game and the Eagles lost consecutive matches for the first time in more than two years.
Brandon Aubrey kicked four field goals for the Cowboys, extending his NFL record at the start of his career to 30 successful kicks.
The Eagles failed to muster an offensive touchdown, Jalen Carter claiming their only six-pointer after Fletcher Cox sacked Prescott.
The San Francisco 49ers moved to the brink of back-to-back NFC West titles as they beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-16 for their fifth straight win.
Deebo Samuel caught a touchdown pass and ran for another score as the 49ers moved to 10-3, four games clear of the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams with four games remaining.
The stumbling Kansas City Chiefs lost for the fourth time in six games as they went down 20-17 at home to the Buffalo Bills.
Josh Allen threw for 233 yards and a touchdown, running for another before the Bills secured victory with a Tyler Bass field with just under two minutes remaining.
The Super Bowl champions thought they had regained the lead when a throw from tight end Travis Kelce sent Kadarius Toney in from 49 yards, but an offside flag ruled out the score.
The Denver Broncos are the Chiefs’ unlikely challengers for the AFC West crown, moving to within one game with a 24-7 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Russell Wilson threw for two touchdowns as the Broncos made it six wins in their last seven games.
His opposite number Justin Herbert left with a finger injury after being sacked four times.
The Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders came within two minutes of the first scoreless game in regulation time for 80 years.
Greg Joseph’s field goal with one minute 57 left on the clock gave the Vikings a 3-0 win, the lowest-scoring match for 16 years.
Tylan Wallace returned an overtime punt for a touchdown to secure the Baltimore Ravens a stunning 37-31 win against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Ravens became the first AFC team to 10 wins as Wallace returned the punt 76 yards for the game-winning score.
Baltimore had retaken the lead in a roller-coaster clash with one minute 16 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter through Lamar Jackson’s third touchdown pass of the game.
The Rams forced overtime with a Lucas Havrisik field goal, but Baltimore prevailed to move above the Miami Dolphins, who play on Monday night, in the race for the top seed in the play-offs.
The Jacksonville Jaguars suffered a second successive defeat as Joe Flacco led the Cleveland Browns to a 31-27 home win.
Veteran Flacco, the Super Bowl MVP in 2013 with the Ravens, threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns on his second appearance for the Browns.
Cleveland remained two games behind Baltimore in the AFC North while the Cincinnati Bengals are just a game further back after quarterback Jake Browning shone in a 34-14 success against the Indianapolis Colts.
Back-up Browning, who has stepped in for the injured Joe Burrow, threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another score to earn his side a second successive victory.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went top of the NFC South with a 29-25 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
Baker Mayfield led a 12-play, 75-yard drive, which ended with him finding Cade Otton in the end zone for a game-winning touchdown with 31 seconds left.
Both teams sit on 6-7 in the division, as do the third-placed New Orleans Saints after they ended a three-match losing run by beating the struggling Carolina Panthers 28-6.
The New York Jets ended a five-match losing run by beating the Houston Texans 30-6.
Much-maligned Jets quarterback Zach Wilson threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns, while rookie of the year frontrunner CJ Stroud completed just 10 throws for 91 yards for the play-off chasing Texans before leaving the game with a head injury.
DJ Moore had both a receiving and a rushing touchdown – the first of his career – as the Chicago Bears stunned NFC North leaders the Detroit Lions 28-13.
Dally Cowboys beat Philadelphia Eagles to draw level in NFC East
The Dallas Cowboys drew even with the Philadelphia Eagles at the top of the NFC East as they beat their divisional rivals 33-13.
Dak Prescott threw for two touchdowns as the Cowboys won for a fifth successive game and the Eagles lost consecutive matches for the first time in more than two years.
Brandon Aubrey kicked four field goals for the Cowboys, extending his NFL record at the start of his career to 30 successful kicks.
The Eagles failed to muster an offensive touchdown, Jalen Carter claiming their only six-pointer after Fletcher Cox sacked Prescott.
The San Francisco 49ers moved to the brink of back-to-back NFC West titles as they beat the Seattle Seahawks 28-16 for their fifth straight win.
Deebo Samuel caught a touchdown pass and ran for another score as the 49ers moved to 10-3, four games clear of the Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams with four games remaining.
The stumbling Kansas City Chiefs lost for the fourth time in six games as they went down 20-17 at home to the Buffalo Bills.
Josh Allen threw for 233 yards and a touchdown, running for another before the Bills secured victory with a Tyler Bass field with just under two minutes remaining.
The Super Bowl champions thought they had regained the lead when a throw from tight end Travis Kelce sent Kadarius Toney in from 49 yards, but an offside flag ruled out the score.
The Denver Broncos are the Chiefs’ unlikely challengers for the AFC West crown, moving to within one game with a 24-7 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Russell Wilson threw for two touchdowns as the Broncos made it six wins in their last seven games.
His opposite number Justin Herbert left with a finger injury after being sacked four times.
The Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders came within two minutes of the first scoreless game in regulation time for 80 years.
Greg Joseph’s field goal with one minute 57 left on the clock gave the Vikings a 3-0 win, the lowest-scoring match for 16 years.
Tylan Wallace returned an overtime punt for a touchdown to secure the Baltimore Ravens a stunning 37-31 win against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Ravens became the first AFC team to 10 wins as Wallace returned the punt 76 yards for the game-winning score.
Baltimore had retaken the lead in a roller-coaster clash with one minute 16 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter through Lamar Jackson’s third touchdown pass of the game.
The Rams forced overtime with a Lucas Havrisik field goal, but Baltimore prevailed to move above the Miami Dolphins, who play on Monday night, in the race for the top seed in the play-offs.
The Jacksonville Jaguars suffered a second successive defeat as Joe Flacco led the Cleveland Browns to a 31-27 home win.
Veteran Flacco, the Super Bowl MVP in 2013 with the Ravens, threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns on his second appearance for the Browns.
Cleveland remained two games behind Baltimore in the AFC North while the Cincinnati Bengals are just a game further back after quarterback Jake Browning shone in a 34-14 success against the Indianapolis Colts.
Back-up Browning, who has stepped in for the injured Joe Burrow, threw for 275 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another score to earn his side a second successive victory.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went top of the NFC South with a 29-25 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
Baker Mayfield led a 12-play, 75-yard drive, which ended with him finding Cade Otton in the end zone for a game-winning touchdown with 31 seconds left.
Both teams sit on 6-7 in the division, as do the third-placed New Orleans Saints after they ended a three-match losing run by beating the struggling Carolina Panthers 28-6.
The New York Jets ended a five-match losing run by beating the Houston Texans 30-6.
Much-maligned Jets quarterback Zach Wilson threw for 301 yards and two touchdowns, while rookie of the year frontrunner CJ Stroud completed just 10 throws for 91 yards for the play-off chasing Texans before leaving the game with a head injury.
DJ Moore had both a receiving and a rushing touchdown – the first of his career – as the Chicago Bears stunned NFC North leaders the Detroit Lions 28-13.
Stroud concussed in Texans' loss to Jets
The Houston Texans' 30-6 loss to the New York Jets on Sunday came at a cost, as C.J. Stroud left with a concussion.
The rookie quarterback exited with 6:30 remaining in the fourth quarter when he was hit by Quinnen Williams and his head slammed to the turf hard.
Stroud has entered the NFL's concussion protocol and his status for Houston's game against the Tennessee Titans next Sunday is uncertain.
"We'll see how he progresses throughout the week," Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said.
Stroud, the No. 2 pick of this year's draft, came into Week 14 leading the league in passing yards with 3,540 but struggled mightily against a stingy Jets defense. He completed 10-of-23 passes for a season-low 91 yards while being sacked four times.
The Texans finished with a season-worst 135 total yards and converted just 1 of 12 third-down attempts in losing for the second time in three weeks following a three-game winning streak.
Davis Mills replaced Stroud and would likely get the start against the Titans if Stroud isn't cleared.
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