LONDON — The Jacksonville Jaguars plan to arrive in 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 Jaguars’ departure time has been “slightly” delayed.
The hurricane smashed into Florida, 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 NFL 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’s emergency preparedness department urged residents to continue to shelter in place: “Don’t let your guard down. We are still anticipating some gusty winds and additional storm surge flooding with the next high tide cycle.”
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers 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.
