The NFL has a relocation site in mind for the highly-anticipated Kansas City Chiefs-Tampa Bay Buccaneers Week 4 showdown, should they be forced to change venues due to Hurricane Ian.
A final decision hasn’t been made on the matter. But per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, NFL Executive Vice President for Health & Safety Jeff Miller informed reporters that if they have to relocate the game, it will take place at the Minnesota Vikings’ home venue of U.S. Bank Stadium.
Minnesota’s venue is available as the Vikings will be playing the New Orleans Saints overseas at 9:30 a.m. EST on Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England as part of the NFL’s International Series.
Last year, the NFL had to relocate the Saints-Green Bay Packers Week 1 game from New Orleans to Jacksonville because of Hurricane Ida. The two teams played at the neutral site of TIAA Bank Field (home of the Jaguars), with New Orleans winning 38-3.
The Bucs-Chiefs game will mark the sixth showdown between the 45-year-old Tom Brady and the 27-year-old Patrick Mahomes. The former won the first two meetings (Week 6, 2018 and the 2018 AFC Championship Game), but Mahomes returned the favor with consecutive road wins (Week 14, 2019) over Brady (Week 12, 2020).
Brady, of course, regained the edge over Mahomes when he led the Bucs to a 31-9 blowout victory over Kansas City in Super Bowl 55 to capture his seventh Super Bowl championship ring. The Bucs also became the first team to play in — and ultimately win — the Super Bowl in their own stadium.
There’s a strong chance that Sunday will mark the final showdown between the ageless wonder and the young phenom. And with both teams likely to contend for home advantage in the postseason, this contest could carry significant long-term playoff implications.
