Hurricane Helene is approaching the Florida coast, and NFL teams in Tampa, Atlanta, Miami, and Charlotte are closely monitoring its path. The storm, currently a Category 1, may strengthen to a Category 4 before landfall. Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia have declared states of emergency, with evacuations in place and residents preparing for severe flooding and storm surges.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to play on Sunday and the game is expected to proceed since the hurricane should pass by then.
However, showers and thunderstorms could affect conditions. Airlines are offering rebooking options for travelers headed to the impacted areas.
The New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons will face each other at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and since the storm is forecasted to weaken by then, the game is likely to go ahead as planned, though travel may be impacted.
The Cincinnati Bengals and Carolina Panthers game could face challenges from heavy rain in western North Carolina, potentially causing flooding and travel issues, although Charlotte should avoid the storm’s full impact.
Meanwhile, the Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins game on Monday is expected to proceed as Miami is not in the storm’s direct path, barring any unexpected changes.
How can Helene affect college football?
Miami plans to host Virginia Tech on Friday night at 19:30 ET with no schedule changes announced. Florida State left Tallahassee on Thursday to avoid the storm, traveling a day early to Dallas for their Saturday game against SMU, although their band, The Marching Chiefs, canceled their trip.
Colorado also adjusted its travel, leaving Boulder on Wednesday for Orlando ahead of their game against UCF, set for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. Florida A&M rescheduled their Saturday game against Alabama A&M to November 29, while the Florida Gators have a bye week.
MLB potential changes
In Major League Baseball, the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets had the final two games of their series at Truist Park postponed due to heavy rains in Atlanta.
The second and third games were moved to a doubleheader on Monday. With both teams in a close wild-card race, the doubleheader could have significant playoff implications depending on the standings by then.
