Jets-Bills NFL's latest weather-related change of venue
The Detroit Lions take on the New England Patriots in an NFL preseason game at Ford Field in Detroit on Aug. 28, 2011. Credit: AP / Paul Sancya
The Jets and Bills will play Monday night at Detroit's Ford Field instead of Sunday afternoon at Ralph Wilson Stadium because of a snowstorm that blanketed the Buffalo area with more than 7 feet of snow.
But it's not the first time an NFL regular-season game has been moved because of weather-related circumstances or a natural disaster.
In December 2010, snow caused the roof of the Metrodome in Minneapolis to collapse, forcing the Vikings to move their game against the Giants to Ford Field. The Giants won, 21-3.
The Vikings' next home game was played at the University of Minnesota's outdoor stadium. Their game the next week in Philadelphia was played on Tuesday night because of a snowstorm there.
After Hurricane Katrina in late August 2005, the Saints were forced to switch their home opener against the Giants to Giants Stadium, where they were beaten, 27-10. The Saints split their remaining home games between LSU and the Alamodome in San Antonio.
In October 2003, the Dolphins-Chargers game in San Diego had to be moved to Arizona State's Sun Devil Stadium because of wildfires in Southern California. The Dolphins won, 26-10.
In October 1989, a major earthquake hit San Francisco and postponed Game 3 of the World Series for 10 days. The 49ers' game against the Patriots, originally scheduled to be played at Candlestick Park, was moved to Stanford Stadium 40 miles away in Palo Alto, California. The 49ers won, 37-20.
Bob Glauber retired in 2022 after covering the NFL for nearly 40 years. He was selected in 2021 for the Bill Nunn Career Achievement Award by the Pro Football Writers of America, and is a three-time winner of the New York State Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association. President of the PFWA for the 2018-20 seasons, he is the author of “The Forgotten First” and “Guts and Genius.”
