Vikings' stadium could reportedly host Chiefs-Bucs game due to Hurricane Ian
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Vikings are playing in London this weekend, but according to one report, U.S. Bank Stadium may still host a football game on Sunday.
ESPN's Jeff Darlington said the Vikings' home stadium is a possible site for the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The game may need to be moved due to Hurricane Ian, which has strengthened to a Category 3 storm and is on a path toward Florida's western coast.
The Buccaneers traveled to Miami on Tuesday and will practice at the Dolphins' facility, the team said. Darlington reported the NFL would seek a neutral site in the Midwest for the game rather than Miami to avoid draining state resources during a natural disaster.
The Chiefs-Bucs game is set for 7:20 p.m. Sunday. The Vikings (2-1) will take on the New Orleans Saints (1-2) at 8:30 a.m. that day. The matchup is technically a home game for the Saints and will be played at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Officials in Florida have already issued mandatory evacuation orders in low-lying areas surrounding the Tampa Bay area, and asked others to voluntarily evacuate. Ian is expected to become a Category 4 storm by the time it hits Florida early Wednesday.
Interestingly enough, both the Saints and Vikings are familiar with neutral site games due to weather occurrences. In 2005, due to the aftereffects of Hurricane Katrina, the Saints split their home games between the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, and Lousiana State University's stadium. In 2010, the roof of the Metrodome -- then the Vikings' home stadium -- collapsed due to heavy snow, and the Vikings were forced to play their next game against the New York Giants at Ford Field in Detroit. They played their remaining home games that season at TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus.
Sunday will be the Vikings' third regular season game in London. In 2013, they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-27. Then, in 2017, they defeated the Cleveland Browns 33-16. Both of those games were played at Wembley Stadium.
In 1983, the Vikings played the St. Louis Cardinals in a preseason game at Wembley. The Vikings won that one, too.