LONDON — The Jacksonville Jaguars plan to arrive to London later than expected Friday because of Hurricane Milton, the team confirmed ahead of Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears.
A team spokesperson said on Thursday that the team’s departure time has been “slightly” delayed.
The hurricane brought powerful winds, a deadly storm surge and flooding to much of Florida after making landfall along the Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm.
The Jaguars canceled a Friday press conference at the team hotel outside London and rescheduled it for Saturday morning. They play the Bears the next day at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
For their London games, the Jags regularly depart on Thursday night and arrive Friday morning. They’ve played in London 11 times.
On Wednesday, coach Doug Pederson expressed confidence in sticking to the travel plan.
“It could affect some timing tomorrow trying to get out, but it looks good, it looks promising anyway, for our window to get out of here sort of on time with not too many delays or hiccups in the next 24 hours or so,” he said.
The NFL said in a statement that, “No changes are expected to Sunday’s schedule.”
Like last season, the Jaguars will be playing back-to-back games in London. After facing the Bears, they stay and play the following Sunday against the New England Patriots at Wembley Stadium.
Milton weakened to a Category 1 storm as it moved through Florida early Thursday. The city of Jacksonville said in a social media post that “there’s still the potential for heavy winds and storm surge throughout the day” and asked residents to stay off roadways.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had moved up their travel plans ahead of the hurricane making landfall. The Bucs arrived in New Orleans on Tuesday for Sunday’s game against the Saints.
Copyright 2024 by The Associated Press
