For the second time in three weeks, the NFL on Sunday postponed a game because of snow.
This time, though, the forecasted blizzard in the Northeast did not damage a stadium. Instead, it threatened to wreak havoc in Philadelphia. So the NFL pushed the Vikings-Eagles game — scheduled for Sunday night — to tonight at 8pm. The NFL cited public safety and uncertainty about the extent of the storm as the reasons for pushing the game back so far.
“This will allow sufficient time to ensure that roads, parking lots and the stadium are fully cleared,” the NFL said in a statement. “The National Weather Service states that a winter storm warning in Philadelphia remains in effect until 1pm on Monday.”
It was the third straight Vikings game moved or rescheduled because of the weather. The collapse of the Metrodome roof because of heavy snow caused the Vikings’ game against the Giants two weeks ago to be postponed a day and moved to Detroit. Last week, with the Metrodome still unusable, the Vikings played their home game against the Chicago Bears at the University of Minnesota’s outdoor stadium. The Vikings even briefly considered returning to Minneapolis on Sunday and then flying back to Philadelphia, before deciding to remain in Philadelphia during the storm.
“What else can you say?” Vikings defensive end Jared Allen said. “Just add this to the list for the 2010 season. But you know what? We have to remain together as a team and keep a positive mind frame. It’s important to be a professional and be ready to play on Tuesday night.”
The postponement — which allows NBC to broadcast the game nationally without conflicting with ESPN’s game last night between the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons — has the potential to be more problematic for the Eagles than the Vikings, who are already out of playoff contention. The Eagles are battling for the NFC East title and for playoff position. They could now face Brett Favre, who has two extra days to be cleared by doctors to play — he sustained a concussion last week — and they will have just four days before their regular-season finale against the Dallas Cowboys, which could be a critical game.
“I think we’ll be all right,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said. “We’ve had Monday games, Sunday night games, we had a Thursday game, so we’ve been through a lot of this already, and that will help us. We’ll be fine.”
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