Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Miami Dolphins moved to Week 11
By Mike Dyce
The NFL has moved the game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins to Week 11 because of Hurricane Irma.
As Hurricane Irma continues to move towards Southern Florida, the NFL has been forced to weigh options regarding the game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Miami Dolphins. One of the options was to move the game to another city, out of harms way, or to delay the game to Week 11, because both teams conincidentally share the same bye week.
The NFL decided to do the latter, rescheduling the game to Week 11 and announced the decision in a press release this morning.
“Due to the potential impact of Hurricane Irma on South Florida, the Miami Dolphins home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, originally scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Hard Rock Stadium, will instead be played there in Week 11 on Sunday, November 19, the NFL announced today,” the NFL said in a statement.
“Week 11 was previously an open date for both clubs.
“The NFL announced yesterday that in the interest of public safety in light of the continuing state of emergency, the league, in consultation with state and local officials as well as both clubs, would not play an NFL game in South Florida this week.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in the impacted area.”
While the NFL was right to act on this game, rescheduling it presents its own set of issues. Namely, both teams will play 16 straight games this season, nothing any other team in the league will do. Each team will feel the strain of that grind, and it might have an affect on player safety, not getting that mid-season week to recuperate.
But the Dolphins get to keep a home game instead of relocating the game to keep it in Week 1, which is important for both the fans and the revenue stream. The Dolphins are already sacrificing one home game this season to be the home team in the early October game in London.