It's official: Bucs, Chiefs game will be played in Tampa, not Minneapolis
UPDATE: The game will stay in Tampa
The Bucs confirmed Thursday that Sunday's game against the Chiefs will be played in Tampa. Minneapolis was the contingency plan had Hurricane Ian forced a move. A full statement from the Bucs:
Our thoughts and prayers remain with the many thousands in the Southwest Florida region who have been severely impacted by Hurricane Ian. We are also very thankful that the Tampa Bay area was spared the most damaging consequences of this powerful storm. We have informed the NFL, after consulting with local and state agencies, that we are ready to play Sunday night's game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium as originally scheduled.
We would like to thank all of the local government agencies and the thousands of emergency personnel who worked tirelessly over the past few days to ensure that our area would be ready to respond if needed. We would also like to acknowledge the Miami Dolphins organization for their assistance and hospitality in allowing us to use their practice facilities this week.
We also want to express our sincere appreciation to the first responders and emergency personnel who are already battling the elements, saving lives, and helping our neighbors in those most impacted areas to our south.
We will have additional information soon on ways we can join together to support our community and those most impacted by the storm.
This is a breaking news update. Read the original story below.
The Tampa Bay Sports Authority has let the NFL know that it has all the necessary resources to host the Sunday night game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium, according to Bucs longtime reporter Rick Stroud.
Stroud says "It's up to the league now to make the final decision."
The NFL confirmed Wednesday that if the game were to be moved due to Hurricane Ian, it would be played Sunday night at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, which is vacant on Sunday because the Vikings are in London to play the Saints.
Tampa Bay Mayor Jane Castor tweeted Thursday that city officials are "doing our best to keep the [Buccaneers] game here Sunday."
Fears earlier this week were that Ian could bring devastating storm surge to Tampa Bay, but the storm tracked further south, instead causing catastrophic damage from south of Sarasota to Fort Myers and Naples. Tampa dodged the bullet by about 50 miles.
On Wednesday, the City of Minneapolis confirmed to Bring Me The Sports that "initial discussions" were held in the event that the game was moved to U.S. Bank Stadium.
Meanwhile, the scope of the damage in Florida from Hurricane Ian is coming to light Thursday. On "Good Morning America," Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said "I definitely know fatalities are in the hundreds," in addition to "thousands of people that are waiting to be rescued."
Related: Minneapolis confirms 'initial discussions' of hosting Bucs-Chiefs
