Hurricane Ian did not hit Tampa Bay as hard as the forecasts indicated it would, and as a result the Buccaneers are ready, willing and able to host Sunday night’s game against the Chiefs.
“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the many thousands in the Southwest Florida region who have been severely impacted by Hurricane Ian,” the Bucs said in a statement. “We are also very thankful that the Tampa Bay area was spared the most damaging consequences of this powerful storm. We have informed the NFL, after consulting with local and state agencies, that we are ready to play Sunday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium as originally scheduled.
“We would like to thank all of the local government agencies and the thousands of emergency personnel who worked tirelessly over the past few days to ensure that our area would be ready to respond if needed. We would also like to acknowledge the Miami Dolphins organization for their assistance and hospitality in allowing us to use their practice facilities this week.
“We also want to express our sincere appreciation to the first responders and emergency personnel who are already battling the elements, saving lives, and helping our neighbors in those most impacted areas to our south.
“We will have additional information soon on ways we can join together to support our community and those most impacted by the storm.”
The NFL had made contingency plans to move the game to Minnesota if hurricane damage made hosting it in Tampa impossible, but the storm has already passed and Tampa is ready to host the game safely.
