Written by James Walker at ESPN.com
The Miami Dolphins will not play their regular-season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday due to the threat of Hurricane Irma, the NFL announced Tuesday.
ESPN’s Jeff Darlington reports the game likely will be rescheduled for Nov. 19, when both teams have a bye week, according to league sources. The NFL has yet to announce an official decision.
“The league will continue to examine other options, including playing the game this Sunday at a neutral site or in Miami later this season, and will provide an update on that decision as soon as possible,” the league said in a statement.
Two sources involved in the game told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler they were made aware that Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are neutral site options should the teams try to play this week, and that decision is expected to come Wednesday.
The Dolphins practiced Tuesday with the expectation that a game will be played this week. Several Miami players were vocal about wanting to play, regardless of the circumstances.
“Luckily for us, we started Monday, so we’re ready to go,” Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler said. “Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday we’re kind of open to anything. This team is young and flexible and they’re ready to rock.”
Hard Rock Stadium had approximately $500 million in renovations over the past two years. A big part of those renovations were to reinforce the stadium to withstand a Category 4 hurricane. Irma was upgraded Tuesday to a Category 5 hurricane.
Rescheduling the game in November would result in the Dolphins and Buccaneers playing 16 straight games, which is not ideal for either team.
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