The Chiefs vs. Buccaneers matchup is one of the most anticipated games on the NFL Week 4 schedule.
The contest is a rematch of Super Bowl 55, which Tampa Bay won 31-9 after putting relentless pressure on Patrick Mahomes. Now, the 27-year-old will look to earn revenge in what may be his last game against Tom Brady.
One interesting part of the matchup between Kansas City and Tampa Bay is that it is set to take place in the same location as Super Bowl 55. The contest was played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, and the Bucs became the first-ever team to win a Super Bowl on their home turf.
That said, there’s no guarantee that the game will be played in Tampa Bay anymore because of Hurricane Ian. The NFL has put a contingency plan in place to ensure that it will be played, but that could involve moving it to a site more than 1,000 miles away.
Where is the Chiefs vs. Buccaneers matchup being played? Here’s what we know about the location for “Sunday Night Football” in Week 4.
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Where will Chiefs vs. Buccaneers be played?
The NFL is still planning to play the “Sunday Night Football” game between the Chiefs and Buccaneers in Tampa Bay as of Wednesday.
However, NFL executive vice president Jeff Miller acknowledged that the game could be moved. The decision would come at a later date and would depend on how much damage Hurricane Ian leaves in its wake.
“Until we know more about the storm, it’s gonna be difficult to make that decision,” he said.
Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida at 3:10 p.m. ET on Wednesday as a Category 4 storm. That’s the second-strongest classification available for a hurricane and can sustain winds of 130-156 mph.
Per the National Hurricane Center, “catastrophic damage will occur” during a Category 4 hurricane. It can make the impacted area “uninhabitable for weeks or months.”
The league’s decision about the location of the game is certainly tied to whether the hurricane hits the Tampa Bay area, as NFL Network reports. That is not the NFL’s only consideration though.
NFL Network’s Judy Battista reported that the question of whether the game is played in Tampa or not is not just based on whether the hurricane hits the area, as the league said they will also consider whether playing the game would sap important resources that are needed for disaster relief and recovery. The NFL will consult with the teams, local officials and disaster relief agencies when making a final decision.
As such, the game’s location is truly “up in the air.”
That said, the game’s status is not, as the NFL will play it one way or another. It will just relocate the contest if the city of Tampa Bay isn’t ready to host the contest.
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Alternate Sunday Night Football location for Week 4
As mentioned, the NFL is still planning to play the Chiefs-Bucs game in Tampa Bay at this time.
However, if Raymond James Stadium isn’t yet ready to host a game, the NFL has a contingency plan. It will move the game to U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn., as Miller announced.
According to NFL exec Jeff Miller, there is no change to the #Bucs–#Chiefs game on Sunday as of now. They are discussing all matters with local authorities. Should Hurricane Ian force a change, the game would be played in Minnesota at US Bank Stadium.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 28, 2022
U.S. Bank Stadium is the home of the Vikings and has been since the venue opened in 2016. The state-of-the-art stadium has a capacity of 73,000 and has hosted events including Super Bowl 52 between the Patriots and Eagles in 2018 and the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament in 2019.
The reason that the NFL has designated Minnesota its backup site is that the Vikings are not playing at home in Week 4. In fact, they aren’t even playing in the country, as the Vikings are facing the Saints in the NFL’s first London game of 2022. That opens up their facility as the backup option for the Chiefs and Buccaneers.
That said, while the game would be played at a neutral field, it would be easier for Kansas City fans to make the trek to Minnesota than Tampa Bay fans. Kansas City is just under 437 miles from Minneapolis; meanwhile, Tampa Bay is 1,327 miles from Twin Cities.
As such, there may be more Chiefs fans on hand if the game is moved to the home of the Vikings.
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