Hurricane Irma Has Forced The Dolphins Vs. Buccaneers Game Out Of Miami (Update)

With another devastating natural disaster headed for the mainland United States, the NFL decided to act proactively and move one of its games out of harm’s way days before the season was scheduled to kick off.

The NFL announced on Tuesday that Sunday’s Dolphins/Buccaneers game won’t take place in Miami as scheduled. A source said the Dolphins were shuffling their schedule for the week to accommodate a potential venue or day change for the game this weekend, though no indication has been made exactly when or where the game will be played.

On Tuesday, Ian Rapaport reported officially that the game will not be played in Miami on Sunday as originally planned. The report was soon sent out on the NFL Mobile app, making it clear that though no official plan is in place, there will be no football in Miami this week.

Rapaport said the NFL had not made a final decision on when the game takes place, noting that it may not happen this week at all.

It’s a terrible situation for the entire state of Florida, which is right in the crosshairs of the storm’s path. Though it’s not expected to make landfall in Florida for a few more days, many are already making evacuation plans and trying to avoid a disaster on the scale of what happened in Houston in late August with Hurricane Harvey, which caused massive flooding and required thousands to be rescued from their homes.

Sports are a way to cope with the terrible things that happen in life, but playing sports amid disasters is never wise. It’s good the NFL is being proactive about this and moving things around before it’s too late.

Update: On Wednesday, the NFL announced the game had been officially rescheduled.

The Dolphins will still get a home game, as the game will be played during Week 11 in Miami on November 19.