List of canceled and rescheduled NFL games

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The following is a list of games that have been canceled and rescheduled by the National Football League since 1933. While canceling games was extremely common prior to this date, since that year, the NFL has only twice canceled regular season games, in both cases for labor disputes between the league and the National Football League Players Association. Seven weeks of regular season games were canceled in 1982 and one week of regular season games was canceled in 1987.

Preseason contests have seen comparatively more cancellations, since the games do not count in the standings. Two of these games, the 1974 Chicago College All-Star Game and the 2011 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, were canceled because of off-season labor stoppages that were resolved prior to the start of the rest of the preseason. Three games were canceled as the result of unsafe playing fields: a 1995 NFL preseason game between the San Diego Chargers and the Houston Oilers,[1] a 2001 preseason game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Philadelphia Eagles,[2] and the 2016 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.[3] An additional preseason game, the 2017 Texas Governor's Cup, was canceled for weather. At least one other announced game was discarded before it was officially placed on the schedule. The proposed China Bowl exhibition was to have been played in August 2007 but was postponed indefinitely before the 2007 schedule was released, with all plans for the game formally canceled before December 2008.

The league has run into other instances in which a game cannot realistically be played on its scheduled date, including weather-related rainouts and conflicts with college football or Major League Baseball over the use of shared stadiums. Unlike baseball, the NFL generally plays through even the coldest and most precipitous of weather unless such weather makes the stadium unusable or it becomes unsafe for spectators to attend the match. In such cases where a game cannot be played on its scheduled date, especially in the regular season, the league has the options of rescheduling the contest to any available day and, if the stadium cannot be used, relocating the contest to the opponent's stadium or a neutral site (usually another nearby NFL stadium or a suitably sized modern college football venue). To date, such measures have not been necessary for any individual game in the playoffs.

1920s and 1930s[]

Cancelling games was far more common in the 1920s and early 1930s, in the founding years of the league. When a team did not want to play a game, they could cancel without any punishment or penalty. Several years after league schedules were standardized in 1933, cancellations were effectively banned, and teams would have to forfeit the game or postpone if a cancellation was due to issues outside the team's control. There have been no forfeits in the league's history; a 1921 game between the Rochester Jeffersons and the Washington Senators is occasionally listed as a forfeit, but because of the lax cancellation rules of the time and uncertainty over which team (if either) was at fault for the game not being played, the game is listed in modern records as a cancellation. The last unpunished cancellation of a regular season NFL game is believed to have been a November 17, 1935 contest between the Boston Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles, which was canceled for severe rain and snow.

Several games were removed from the schedules of the NFL teams of the early 1940s, but because the issues (namely, World War II, the loss of marquee talent to the war effort, and restrictions on resource usage) were already foreseen by the start of the 1942 season, the league was able to issue shortened schedules from the start without having to cancel already scheduled contests.

1974 players' strike[]

The 1974 College All-Star Game, an exhibition game that pitted the most recent Super Bowl champion (Miami Dolphins) against a team composed entirely of rookies, was canceled as a result of a players’ strike. The strike was resolved before any further games were canceled; the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game, along with the rest of the 1974 NFL season, went on as scheduled, although at least one game was held with the Denver Broncos using a squad of rookie replacement players.[4]

1982 players' strike[]

In 1982, players began a 57-day strike following the completion of Week 2 of the regular season. As a result of the impasse, games were simply canceled until a settlement was reached (ultimately, Weeks 3 to 10). Upon reaching that settlement, the NFL announced that Weeks 11 to 16 would be played as scheduled, and the games originally scheduled for Week 3 of the season would be played following the completion of the resumed regular season as a new Week 17, with the playoffs pushed back one week. Later, the NFL decided to use the final week 17 to hold various intra-division games from canceled Weeks 3 to 10 instead of merely playing the Week 3 games. This was done to increase attendance and to allow some teams to balance out home and away games, to the extent possible (either five home and four away, or four home and five away). Because the 1982 shortened season would include only nine regular season contests for each team, the NFL announced that the three divisions in each of the two conferences would be eliminated for the purpose of determining playoff qualifications, and the regular season would be followed by an expansion of the playoffs from 10 to 16 teams. With this, each conference had 14 teams competing for 8 playoff spots, with division standings being disregarded in favor of overall conference standings. Each of the first three rounds of the playoffs was pushed back one week in order to make room for the new week 17, which was originally scheduled as the Wild Card weekend. This was possible because there was an idle week between the Conference Championship games and the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl and Pro Bowl were held as originally scheduled.

1982 games lost[]

Note: Some of the games originally scheduled for Weeks 3 to 10, listed below, were rescheduled to a new, final Week 17.

Week Three – September 26[]

Day Visiting Team Home Team
Thursday[a][5] Atlanta Kansas City
Sunday Buffalo Houston
Sunday Chicago San Francisco
Sunday Denver New Orleans
Sunday L.A. Rams Philadelphia
Sunday Miami Green Bay
Sunday[b] N.Y. Giants Pittsburgh
Sunday N.Y. Jets Baltimore
Sunday Seattle New England
Sunday Tampa Bay Detroit
Monday Cincinnati Cleveland

Week Four – October 3[]

Day Visiting Team Home Team
Sunday Baltimore Detroit
Sunday Cleveland Washington
Sunday Houston N.Y. Jets
Sunday Kansas City Seattle
Sunday L.A. Rams St. Louis
Sunday Miami Cincinnati
Sunday Minnesota Chicago
Sunday New England Buffalo
Sunday New Orleans L.A. Raiders
Sunday N.Y. Giants Dallas
Sunday[c] Philadelphia Green Bay
Sunday Pittsburgh Denver
Sunday[d] San Diego Atlanta
Monday San Francisco Tampa Bay

Week Five – October 10[]

Day Visiting Team Home Team
Sunday Atlanta L.A. Rams
Sunday Buffalo Baltimore
Sunday Cincinnati New England
Sunday Cleveland L.A. Raiders
Sunday Denver N.Y. Jets
Sunday Detroit Miami
Sunday Green Bay Chicago
Sunday Houston Kansas City
Sunday Minnesota Tampa Bay
Sunday San Francisco New Orleans
Sunday Seattle San Diego
Sunday St. Louis N.Y. Giants
Sunday Washington Dallas
Monday[d] Philadelphia Pittsburgh

Week Six – October 17[]

Day Visiting Team Home Team
Sunday Atlanta Detroit
Sunday Baltimore Cleveland
Sunday Chicago St. Louis
Sunday Cincinnati[e] N.Y. Giants
Sunday Dallas Philadelphia
Sunday Denver Houston
Sunday Kansas City San Diego
Sunday L.A. Raiders Seattle
Sunday New England Miami
Sunday New Orleans Minnesota
Sunday Pittsburgh Washington
Sunday Tampa Bay Green Bay
Monday Buffalo N.Y. Jets

Week Seven – October 24[]

Day Visiting Team Home Team
Sunday Dallas Cincinnati
Sunday[f][5] Detroit Buffalo
Sunday Green Bay Minnesota
Sunday L.A. Raiders Denver
Sunday New Orleans L.A. Rams
Sunday St. Louis New England
Sunday San Diego Seattle
Sunday San Francisco Atlanta
Sunday Tampa Bay Chicago
Sunday Washington Houston
Monday N.Y. Giants Philadelphia

Week Eight – October 31[]

Day Visiting Team Home Team
Sunday Buffalo Denver
Sunday Chicago Green Bay
Sunday Dallas N.Y. Giants
Sunday Houston Cleveland
Sunday L.A. Rams San Diego
Sunday Miami L.A. Raiders
Sunday New England N.Y. Jets
Sunday Philadelphia St. Louis
Sunday Pittsburgh Cincinnati
Sunday San Francisco Washington
Sunday Seattle Kansas City
Sunday Tampa Bay Baltimore
Monday Detroit Minnesota

Week Nine – November 7[]

Day Visiting Team Home Team
Sunday Atlanta Chicago
Sunday Baltimore New England
Sunday Detroit Philadelphia
Sunday Green Bay Tampa Bay
Sunday Houston Pittsburgh
Sunday Kansas City L.A. Raiders
Sunday L.A. Rams New Orleans
Sunday Minnesota San Francisco
Sunday N.Y. Giants Cleveland[e]
Sunday N.Y. Jets Buffalo
Sunday St. Louis Dallas
Sunday Washington Cincinnati
Monday San Diego Miami

Week Ten – November 14[]

Day Visiting Team Home Team
Sunday Cleveland Miami
Sunday Dallas San Francisco
Sunday Denver Kansas City
Sunday[g] L.A. Raiders Baltimore
Sunday Minnesota Washington
Sunday[d] New Orleans San Diego
Sunday N.Y. Giants L.A. Rams
Sunday N.Y. Jets Pittsburgh
Sunday Seattle St. Louis
Monday Philadelphia Atlanta

Games postponed to new Week 17[]

In order to ensure maximal attendance, and to balance out home and away games for each team, to the extent possible (either five home and four away, or four home and five away), the NFL made 12 of the 14 games in the final week of the rescheduled season (Week 17) select intra-division games that were picked from canceled Weeks 3 to 10, instead of merely playing out Week 3 games, as had originally been planned. This was the maximum number mathematically possible, since four of the six divisions at that time had an odd number of teams (the two games that were not intra-division were New York Jets at Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings). The New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles game originally scheduled for Week 7 on Monday was moved to Sunday, while the Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings game originally scheduled for Week 3 on Sunday was moved to Monday.

Org Day Visiting Team Home Team
3 Sunday St. Louis Washington
3 Sunday L.A. Raiders San Diego
6 Sunday L.A. Rams San Francisco
7 Sunday Cleveland Pittsburgh
7 Sunday Miami Baltimore
7 Sunday N.Y. Jets Kansas City
7 Sunday N.Y. Giants Philadelphia
8 Sunday Atlanta New Orleans
9 Sunday Denver Seattle
10 Sunday Buffalo New England
10 Sunday Chicago Tampa Bay
10 Sunday Cincinnati Houston
10 Sunday Green Bay Detroit
3 Monday Dallas Minnesota

1987 players' strike[]

In 1987, the players went on strike for a second time in-season, again following the second week of the campaign. However, unlike 1982, the owners took the bold step of using replacement players. After missing just one week of action, the NFL resumed with replacement players for Week 4. By the time Week 6 had rolled around, enough players had crossed the picket lines and forced an agreement to let the regular players play again. The canceled games of Week 3 were not made up, and the league counted the three weeks of game results featuring the replacement players as regular season games toward each team's final standings. By Week 7, the teams had all players back in action, with all teams completing a 15-game schedule. Also unlike 1982, there was no change to the playoff format that season.

1987 games lost[]

Week Three – September 27[]

Day Visiting Team Home Team
Sunday Atlanta New Orleans
Sunday Buffalo Dallas
Sunday Chicago Detroit
Sunday Cincinnati L.A. Rams
Sunday Green Bay Tampa Bay
Sunday[h] Indianapolis St. Louis
Sunday Minnesota Kansas City
Sunday L.A. Raiders Houston
Sunday New England Washington
Sunday[i][6] N.Y. Giants Miami
Sunday N.Y. Jets Pittsburgh
Sunday Philadelphia San Francisco
Sunday Seattle San Diego
Monday Denver Cleveland

1995 preseason game in Houston[]

An August 19, 1995 preseason game between the San Diego Chargers and the Houston Oilers was the first game in NFL history to be canceled before kickoff after an NFL official determined that the Astrodome's artificial turf endangered the players.[1]

2001 preseason game in Philadelphia[]

An August 13, 2001 preseason game between the Ravens and the Eagles was canceled because of an unplayable playing surface at Veterans Stadium.

Because the multi-purpose stadium was shared by both the Eagles and the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team, the new artificial surface, NexTurf, and previous artificial turf installations before it included cutouts that covered up the dirt infield around the bases. After examining the turf, Ravens coach Brian Billick discovered a trench around the area where third base was covered up by one of the cutouts, and refused to let the Ravens take the field for warm-ups. Later, players from both teams reported that they sank into the turf in locations near the infield cutouts.

City crews unsuccessfully tried to fix the problem, forcing the game to be canceled. Team president Joe Banner was irate after the game, calling the stadium's conditions "absolutely unacceptable" and "an embarrassment to the city of Philadelphia."[7]

City officials, however, promised that the stadium would be suitable for play when the regular season started. The Eagles would move into Lincoln Financial Field in 2003, and the Phillies would move into their own separate ballpark, Citizens Bank Park, in 2004.

September 11, 2001 attacks[]

In the wake of the September 11 attacks, the NFL postponed its Week 2 games of the 2001 season, originally scheduled for September 16 and 17, until the end of the regular season. All playoff games following the 2001 regular season, including Super Bowl XXXVI and the 2002 Pro Bowl, were similarly rescheduled one week later.

This was in contrast to the wake of the John F. Kennedy assassination in 1963 when the NFL went ahead and played its full slate of games that week, a decision that then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle later regretted,[8] though he also stated that Pierre Salinger, Kennedy's press secretary, had urged him to allow the games to be played.[9] Meanwhile, the American Football League canceled week 12 of its 1963 season and later rescheduled those games.

2011 owners' lockout[]

On July 22, 2011, the NFL announced that this year's Pro Football Hall of Fame Game originally set for August 7 of that year between the Chicago Bears and the St. Louis Rams had been canceled, for an ongoing lockout that had been in place since March of that year.[10] The league approved a new collective bargaining agreement on July 21, but at the same time announced the cancellation of the game, citing the fact that the players would not have enough time in training camp to prepare before the game.[11][12]

The NFL also had contingency plans to cancel and/or postpone regular season games (up to eight) if a labor agreement could not be reached by the start of the regular season.[13][14] The league did not have to implement the plans, since the players association agreed to terms with the NFL shortly before the start of the season proper on July 25, ending the lockout.

2016 Hall of Fame Game[]

The 2016 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game between the Green Bay Packers and the Indianapolis Colts was canceled at the last minute due to poor playing conditions at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

Mike Silver of NFL.com reported that on the morning of game day, officials discovered the logos at midfield and in the end zones had been painted using paint which was not intended for use on the newly installed FieldTurf. Subsequently, the paint had not fully dried, and officials heated the field to speed up the drying process, causing the turf's rubber to melt; the affected areas were described as being slick and "like cement," making it impossible to get decent footing. Stadium officials attempted to address this by applying paint thinner to the turf, but a Packers employee noticed a label warning that the paint thinner could result in severe burns when exposed to skin, and alerted them to the discovery. When officially canceling the game, both the league and the Players Association cited safety concerns.[15][16][17]

Both teams were told at 6:40 p.m., an hour and 20 minutes before kickoff, that the game was going to be canceled. However, fans in the stadium only learned of the pending cancellation via social media, and no official announcement was made until just before the scheduled 8 p.m. kickoff, which was greeted by boos and jeering.[18]

2017 Governor's Cup[]

The 2017 Governor's Cup, an annual preseason matchup between Texas' two NFL franchises, the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans, was canceled by the effects of Hurricane Harvey. The game, originally scheduled for August 31 in Houston, was initially moved to Dallas, as Houston was severely flooded as the result of the rains from Harvey and the team had temporarily relocated to Dallas until the storm passed. The Texans opted instead to cancel the game to allow the team more time to relocate back to Houston.[19]

COVID-19 pandemic in 2020[]

All 2020 preseason games and the 2021 Pro Bowl were canceled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. No regular season or playoff games were canceled, but several were rescheduled due to COVID-19 cases within teams.[20]

Restrictions on team sports implemented by Santa Clara County, California forced the San Francisco 49ers to relocate two of their home games during the regular season: the December 7 game against the Buffalo Bills and the December 13 game against the Washington Football Team. Both games were moved to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.[21] The 49ers would also play their January 3 game against the Seattle Seahawks in Arizona after San Francisco extended their restrictions to January 8, 2021.[22]

Rescheduled Games[]

Rescheduled Games
Original Date Original Week Visiting Team Home Team Make Up Date Make Up Week
October 4 Week 4 Pittsburgh Steelers Tennessee Titans October 25 Week 7
October 4 Week 4 New England Patriots Kansas City Chiefs October 5 Week 4
October 11 Week 5 Denver Broncos New England Patriots October 18 Week 6
October 11 Week 5 Buffalo Bills Tennessee Titans October 13 Week 5
October 15 Week 6 Kansas City Chiefs Buffalo Bills October 19 Week 6
October 25 Week 7 New York Jets Los Angeles Chargers November 22 Week 11
October 25 Week 7 Miami Dolphins Denver Broncos November 22 Week 11
October 25 Week 7 Pittsburgh Steelers Baltimore Ravens November 1 Week 8
October 25 Week 7 Los Angeles Chargers Miami Dolphins November 15 Week 10
November 1 Week 8 Jacksonville Jaguars Los Angeles Chargers October 25 Week 7
November 15 Week 10 New York Jets Miami Dolphins October 18 Week 6
November 22 Week 11 Los Angeles Chargers Denver Broncos November 1 Week 8
November 26 Week 12 Baltimore Ravens Pittsburgh Steelers December 2 Week 12
December 3 Week 13 Dallas Cowboys Baltimore Ravens December 8 Week 13
December 6 Week 13 Washington Football Team Pittsburgh Steelers December 7 Week 13

Affected games due to severe weather and natural disasters[]

In the modern era, severe weather or natural disasters have affected some games, but only the aforementioned case of Hurricane Harvey and case of Hurricane Ida below has a game been canceled outright. Others were either switched to a different location, or to a different date in the schedule.

The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake damaged Candlestick Park, forcing the San Francisco 49ers to play their next home game on October 22 against the New England Patriots at Stanford University's Stanford Stadium.[23]

In 1992, Hurricane Andrew forced the September 6 opening-day game between the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins at Joe Robbie Stadium to be rescheduled to October 18, when both teams originally had a bye week.[24]

In the wake of the October 25, 2003 Cedar Fire, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard to assist in the disaster relief process. Because of the soot and particulate matter in the air from the fire two days earlier, the NFL was forced to move the Monday Night Football game on October 27 between the San Diego Chargers and the Miami Dolphins to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.[25]

In 2004, the Cincinnati Bengals at Tampa Bay Buccaneers preseason game, scheduled for Saturday, August 14, was rescheduled to Monday, August 16, because of Hurricane Charley.[26]

During the 2004 regular season, the Tennessee Titans at Miami Dolphins opening-day game, scheduled for Sunday, September 12 at 1 PM ET, was rescheduled to Saturday, September 11 at 1 PM ET because of Hurricane Ivan,[27] and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Miami Dolphins game scheduled for Sunday, September 26, at 1 PM ET was moved to 8:30 PM ET because of Hurricane Jeanne. The latter game became notable as the first NFL start of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.[27]

Hurricane Katrina in 2005 damaged the Louisiana Superdome. The NFL decided that the New Orleans Saints' first regularly scheduled home game against the New York Giants be played in Giants Stadium in New Jersey, with the Saints the home team in name only.[28] For the rest of the season, the Saints home games were split between the Alamodome in San Antonio and Louisiana State University's Tiger Stadium.

In 2005, the NFL moved up the Kansas City Chiefs at Miami Dolphins game from Sunday, October 23 at 1 PM ET to Friday, October 21 at 7 PM ET because of Hurricane Wilma.[29] Respecting a longstanding policy not to schedule games in conflict with Friday night high school football games that dates back to a 1960s federal antitrust law, the NFL televised the game on CBS affiliates only within 75 miles of Kansas City and Miami.[30][31] It also forced the Chiefs to travel to Miami on the day of the game, a violation of the NFL's collective bargaining agreement with the National Football League Players Association which requires a visiting team to arrive in the host city no later than 24 hours prior to kickoff.

Hurricane Ike forced several changes to the 2008 schedule. The Houston Texans’ Week 2 home game against the Baltimore Ravens was first postponed to Monday, September 15, before Ike made landfall; damage to Reliant Stadium forced a further postponement, to Week 10, on Sunday, November 9, giving the Texans and the Ravens their bye weeks in Week 2. Furthermore, to accommodate this move, the Texans’ home game against the Cincinnati Bengals was moved forward from November 9 to Sunday, October 26, pushing the Bengals’ bye week from Week 8 to Week 10.[32]

In 2010, a severe storm in Minnesota deposited over 17 inches or 0.43 metres of snow on the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, which caused the venue's inflatable roof (a form of dome now mostly obsolete for major sports) to collapse about 24 hours later, early in the morning of December 12. The Minnesota Vikings had been scheduled to host the New York Giants that afternoon. Prior to the collapse, the game had already been postponed to Monday night, December 13, over concerns of stadium officials. The game was relocated to Ford Field in Detroit, still played Monday night.[33] The game would be notable as the ending of Brett Favre's NFL-record 297 consecutive starts streak. The Vikings’ December 20 game against the Chicago Bears was moved to TCF Bank Stadium on the University of Minnesota campus.[34] The collapse affected no further NFL games, as the rest of the Vikings’ 2010 season consisted of road games, and the team had already been eliminated from playoff contention. The roof collapse was a factor in the Metrodome being demolished and replaced with hard-roofed U.S. Bank Stadium a few years later.

On December 26, 2010, a Sunday Night Football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Philadelphia Eagles in Philadelphia was postponed to Tuesday, December 28, by a severe snowstorm. It was the first Tuesday NFL game in 64 years.[35] In 2014, a severe snowstorm that hit the Buffalo area forced a New York Jets–Buffalo Bills game, originally scheduled for November 23, to be moved to Detroit's indoor Ford Field on November 24.[36] In both cases, concerns about fan safety prompted the postponements.

Hurricane Irma prompted the postponement of a game between the Miami Dolphins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, originally scheduled for September 10, 2017, to November 19; both teams coincidentally were scheduled for the same bye week, leaving the latter date available for the game to be made up.

Hurricane Ida caused the cancellation of the Cardinals–Saints preseason match-up on August 28, 2021.[37][38]

Effects of shared stadiums and sports complexes[]

There have also been rare occasions in which games had to be pushed back one night because of a last-minute scheduling conflict in the facility of those games, most notably when an NFL team has shared a home stadium with a team from Major League Baseball and the baseball team has needed the building for a post-season game. This was a frequent occurrence when there were several shared stadiums across the country, but after 2012 only one such venue remained: Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, home of the NFL Raiders and the MLB Athletics; this arrangement ended in 2020 when the Raiders moved to Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Most of the stadiums listed required day-long conversions from a football gridiron to a baseball diamond and outfield, or vice versa, including the maneuvering of stadium seating designed to be angled for each sport, the building of temporary stands, and the marking of the field for either sport, along with removal of the pitcher's mound and bases. Additionally until the FieldTurf era, an additional step taken was the filling or covering of the base sliding pits on artificial turf fields.

Although no NFL/MLB-shared stadiums remain, there are eight teams whose current NFL stadiums share the same parking lots and other ancillary facilities with an adjacent MLB ballpark (Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Seattle Seahawks), thus also preventing both teams from playing simultaneously.

On October 12, 1964, the St. Louis Cardinals were forced to move their scheduled home game against the Baltimore Colts to Memorial Stadium, since St. Louis' Busch Stadium I was being used for the 1964 World Series by the baseball team also called the St. Louis Cardinals. Even though game five of the World Series was played that day at Yankee Stadium, the football Cardinals could not use the stadium until the baseball team, the stadium's owner, had completed its season.

The Minnesota Twins' 1965 World Series appearance led to the Sunday afternoon October 10th New York Giants at Minnesota Vikings game to be moved back to Saturday night, October 9th.

The Atlanta Falcons were forced to move their October 5, 1969 home game versus the Baltimore Colts from Atlanta Stadium to Grant Field at Georgia Tech because the Atlanta Braves hosted the New York Mets in Game 2 of the 1969 National League Championship Series. The same day, the Minnesota Vikings moved their home game versus the Green Bay Packers from Metropolitan Stadium to Memorial Stadium at the University of Minnesota because of an American League Championship Series game between the Minnesota Twins and the Baltimore Orioles. One week later, the Philadelphia Eagles’ game in Baltimore against the Baltimore Colts was pushed from Sunday, October 12, to Monday night, October 13, to accommodate Game 2 of the 1969 World Series between the Orioles and the New York Mets. The following week, the World Series prompted the American Football League to move the game at Shea Stadium between the Houston Oilers and the New York Jets from Sunday, October 19, to Monday night, October 20.

In 1973, the New York Jets faced the same situation as the 1964 Cardinals. The New York Mets unexpectedly reached the 1973 World Series, and under the terms of the Jets’ lease at Shea Stadium in place at the time, there could be no football games at the stadium in Queens until the Mets’ season was complete. Thus, the Jets were forced to move their October 21 game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers from Shea Stadium to Three Rivers Stadium, even though the final game of the Series at Shea Stadium was played October 18 (games six and seven were played at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum, home of the Oakland Athletics).

In 1979, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Washington Redskins switched the dates of their two games with the Eagles hosting the Redskins on October 7 (instead of October 21) and the Redskins hosting the Eagles on October 21 (instead of October 7). This was due to the visit of Pope John Paul II to Washington on October 7. A similar situation happened to the Eagles in 1983 where they were forced to switch the dates of their games with the Dallas Cowboys because the Philadelphia Phillies were playing in the 1983 World Series. The Eagles were originally scheduled to play the Cowboys at Veterans Stadium on October 16, 1983; however this game conflicted with Game 5 of the World Series. The game was moved to Texas Stadium and the November 6 game was moved to Veterans Stadium.

In 1987, Game 5 of the 1987 National League Championship Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants was held at Candlestick Park, prompting the San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons to switch home dates for their two games that season; the 49ers visited Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium on October 11, and the Falcons went to San Francisco on December 20. The October 11 game in Atlanta drew only 8,684, the lowest ever for a Falcons home game up to that point; the game was played during the player strike, so replacement players were used.[39]

In 1987, Game 2 of the 1987 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Minnesota Twins led to the Minnesota Vikings and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to switch home dates for their two games that season.

In 1987, the next week, Game 7 of the 1987 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Minnesota Twins on October 25 led the NFL to reschedule the Denver Broncos at Minnesota Vikings game to the following Monday night, October 26.

In 1989, the Sunday, October 8 New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers switched home dates (October 8 originally in San Francisco and November 6 originally in New Orleans) to accommodate the 1989 National League Championship Series Chicago Cubs at San Francisco Giants games on October 7, 8, and 9.

In 1997, Game 7 of the 1997 World Series between the Cleveland Indians and the Florida Marlins on October 26 caused the NFL to reschedule the Chicago Bears at Miami Dolphins game for the following Monday night, October 27.[27]

In 2001, a potential Oakland Athletics baseball playoff game forced the Oakland Raiders to play their contest against the Dallas Cowboys two weeks in advance to avoid a possible conflict, when both clubs originally had their bye week (as it turned out, the Athletics ended up getting eliminated a few days before the originally scheduled date of the Cowboys–Raiders game).[40]

In 2009, the New York Giants–Philadelphia Eagles game at Lincoln Financial Field was moved from 4:15 p.m. ET to 1:00 p.m. to accommodate the Philadelphia Phillies hosting Game 4 of the 2009 World Series at adjacent Citizens Bank Park.[41]

In 2013, the Oakland Athletics playing in the 2013 American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers forced the Oakland Raiders to postpone their originally scheduled Sunday afternoon game against the San Diego Chargers from a 1:25 p.m. PT kickoff to 8:35 p.m. (11:35 p.m. ET). The game was moved to NFL Network to compensate.[42]

The opening game of the 2013 season on September 5, which would traditionally have been hosted by the Baltimore Ravens as the defending Super Bowl XLVII champions, was instead a road contest at the Denver Broncos. A Baltimore Orioles home game against the Chicago White Sox was scheduled for Oriole Park at Camden Yards that night. The Ravens' M&T Bank Stadium is next door to Camden Yards, and the Ravens and Orioles were unable to resolve issues which centered on parking and traffic.[43]

In 2020, the Kansas City Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champions, and the Kansas City Royals, Kansas City’s MLB team, both playing games on the same day, September 10th. The Royals play at Kauffman Stadium, which is next door to the Chiefs’ home stadium Arrowhead Stadium, with both teams sharing the same parking lots. The Royals, Chiefs, NFL, and MLB had agreed to have the Royals move their game to September 8th, as part of a doubleheader against the Oakland Athletics. However, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic forced MLB to redraw their schedule, and the revised schedule put the Royals in Cleveland against the Cleveland Indians.[citation needed]

Notes[]

  1. ^ This was the first scheduled regular season meeting between the Falcons and Chiefs since 1972, and only the second in history. Their second meeting was played in 1985.
  2. ^ This was the first scheduled meeting between the Giants and Steelers since 1976, and the two teams actually next oppose each other in 1985.
  3. ^ This was the first scheduled regular season meeting between the Eagles and the Packers since 1979. The two teams next met in 1987.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c These two teams had previously met in 1979, and did not meet again until the 1988 NFL season.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b This was this franchise's first scheduled regular season game against the Giants since 1977, and first ever road game. The team next played the Giants in 1985, and did not visit the Giants until 1994.
  6. ^ The Lions and Bills had last played in 1979 and would not play another regular season game against each other until 1991.
  7. ^ This was the first scheduled regular season meeting of the Raiders and the Colts since 1975, when the Raiders were based in Oakland. They next oppose one another in 1984, by which time the Colts had moved to Indianapolis. The Raiders next played in Baltimore opposing the relocated Ravens in that franchise's first-ever regular season game in 1996.
  8. ^ This was the first scheduled regular season meeting of the Colts and the Cardinals in St. Louis since 1978, when the Colts were based in Baltimore. The Colts didn't play again in St. Louis until 2001, when they played against the Rams.
  9. ^ This was the first scheduled regular season game between the Dolphins and the Giants since the Dolphins’ 1972 perfect season. As of 1972 they were scheduled to meet in 1977, but this meeting was canceled so the Dolphins could play the Seahawks and the Giants play the Buccaneers. Miami and the Giants finally played their second-ever regular season game in 1990.

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b http://www.sfgate.com/sports/article/Sues-over-canceled-game-at-Astrodome-Houston-s-3119873.php
  2. ^ http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/nfl/games/2001-08-13-canceled.htm
  3. ^ http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/17241245/hall-fame-game-canceled-due-poor-field-conditions-tom-benson-stadium
  4. ^ Ford, Mark L. (2000). "25 Significant "Meaningless" NFL Games" (PDF). The Coffin Corner. 22 (5). Pro Football Researchers Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 14, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2010.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b Urena, Ivan; Pro Football Schedules: A Complete Historical Guide from 1933 to the Present, p. 222 ISBN 0786473517
  6. ^ Urena; Pro Football Schedules, p. 17
  7. ^ "N.F.L.: ROUNDUP; Eagles' Turf Unsafe For Ravens' Game". The New York Times. August 14, 2001. Retrieved April 14, 2009.
  8. ^ Mayer, Larry (November 22, 2013). "With nation mourning JFK, NFL games were played". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  9. ^ Mayer, Larry (November 22, 2013). "1963 season: Bears tie Steelers 17–17". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  10. ^ Pro Football Hall of Fame's statement regarding cancellation of NFL/Hall of Fame Game Archived 2011-09-05 at the Wayback Machine. Pro Football Hall of Fame news release. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  11. ^ La Canfora, Jason (July 22, 2011). Players need more time to resolve issues with proposed deal. NFL.com. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
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