Bucs’ Week 4 Plans Affected By Hurricane Ian

As everyone in the Tampa Bay area and around the state of Florida makes their preparations for Hurricane Ian, the Bucs have their own plans in place as they continue to get ready for Sunday’s Week 4 matchup against the Chiefs.

Head coach Todd Bowles said Sunday – and then again Monday – that discussions were ongoing about how the team would deal with the impending hurricane. Then, on Monday afternoon, the team announced that it will be moving its operations to Miami-Dade County on Tuesday.

Bucs QB Tom Brady – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Dolphins’ Week 4 matchup against the Bengals is set to be played in Cincinnati, so the team will be finished with its on-field work at its Baptist Health Training Complex in Miami Gardens by Wednesday morning. That allows Tampa Bay to begin practicing there on Wednesday and continue to get its work in down south until prep for Week 4 is finished.

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweeted late Monday night that the Bucs have invited the players’ and coaches’ families to accompany them to Miami for the week, which gives them a chance to get to safety.

Where the Bucs will play their Sunday Night Football matchup against the Chiefs remains to be seen. As of Monday afternoon, the game was still on as scheduled at Raymond James Stadium. However, Hurricane Ian continues to barrel down on the area, which means contingency plans are needed.

ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reported Monday night that there are plans in place should Hurricane Ian’s aftermath make it impossible for Tampa to host the game.

Darlington reported that Miami, where the Bucs are practicing this week, would be unlikely to host the game between Tampa Bay and Kansas City. The reason is that the NFL doesn’t want to use any state resources to host the contest, as the league wants all resources to be available should the Tampa area face devastating effects from the storm.

Instead, the two teams are likely to meet at a neutral site in the Midwest. Darlington mentioned Minneapolis as a possibility, given that the Vikings are off playing the Saints in London this Sunday. Coincidentally, the Saints were forced to play at a neutral site in Week 1 of the 2021 season due to the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. They took on the Packers in Jacksonville, beating them 38-3.

Photo by: Mark Lomoglio/PR

FOX13 chief meteorologist Paul Dellegatto tweeted Monday night that weather will be out of the area by Sunday. However, it’s the aftermath of Hurricane Ian that remains the concern. Dellegatto said that if the game somehow does go on as planned at Raymond James Stadium, it would mean that the area “somehow” fared well during the storm.

Coming off of a 14-12 home loss to the Packers on Sunday afternoon, this kind of disruption adds a little more adversity for the Bucs. If the game is relocated to the Midwest, that would mean the team only has seven true home games this season. And depending on the severity of the storm and the effects felt throughout the area, focus would then shift to Tampa Bay’s Week 5 game against the Falcons.

That NFC South contest is currently scheduled to be played at Raymond James Stadium on Oct. 9. A potential solution for that game, if needed, would be to swap the Bucs and Falcons’ respective home games against each other. Tampa Bay could play in Atlanta in Week 5, while Atlanta would then make the return trip in Week 18. Granted, logistical problems could make that an impossible solution. But that’s a conversation for the future, if it’s needed at all.

Of course, the safety of everyone in the area is the bigger priority at the moment. It’s a wait-and-see situation right now for everyone, so more will become known as the week goes on.

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