The Miami Dolphins vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers game will not be played this Sunday at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Beach, Florida, due to the threat from Hurricane Irma.
The NFL announced the change in schedule for the opening weekend of the 2017 season on Tuesday, as the storm rapidly approached Southern Florida.
The move comes after last week’s cancelation of the Houston Texans and Dallas Cowboys pre-season game in the wake of the devastation from Hurricane Harvey.
“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 not be played in Miami on Sunday,” the NFL’s latest statement read.
“In the interest of public safety in light of the current state of emergency, the NFL, in consultation with state and local officials as well as both clubs, has decided that playing an NFL game in South Florida this week is not appropriate.
“The league will continue to examine other options, including playing
ESPN analyst Jeff Darlington reported that the most likely scenario will be to move the Dolphins-Bucs game to Week 11 in November, when both teams share a bye week off.
“Whatever they tell us to do, we’ll do,” Dolphins coach Adam Gase said on Tuesday.