A nationwide Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ground stop on Friday disrupted travel across college and professional sports, grounding teams and forcing some programs to reconsider how they would reach upcoming games. The NFL’s biggest challenge may come Saturday, when many visiting teams are scheduled to fly to their destinations for Sunday’s matchups.
The FAA ordered the ground stop Friday afternoon because of air traffic control communications problems. Aircraft already in the air were allowed to land, but new departures were halted. By Friday evening, two college basketball games had been postponed, several football teams had changed their travel plans, and the NFL had not announced any changes to its Sunday schedule.
The impact on the NFL will depend largely on when flights resume. Most teams playing on Sunday travel the day before, leaving the league a narrow window to get players, coaches, officials and equipment to the right cities.
## Saturday Travel Is Key to the NFL’s Sunday Schedule
NFL teams typically hold their final walkthroughs Saturday morning, then board charter flights in the afternoon. After arriving, teams generally have time for meetings, dinner and rest before game day.
Private charters give teams more control over schedules and airport choices than commercial travel, but they are not exempt from FAA restrictions. Even if the ground stop ends Saturday morning, delayed aircraft, displaced crews and other scheduling problems could continue to affect departures.
The critical period may be Saturday afternoon and evening. If flights resume in time for teams to reach their destinations that night, the NFL may be able to keep Sunday’s schedule intact. If the shutdown continues into Saturday night, options could become more limited.
A team might theoretically travel Sunday morning for an early game, depending on the distance, but arriving on the day of a game would create a major logistical challenge. Teams need to unload equipment, transport personnel, complete medical treatments and prepare for kickoff. Officials also have to travel to their assignments, so a prolonged shutdown could affect game crews as well as players and coaches.
The league had not announced a deadline for deciding whether games would need to be delayed. The longer the disruption lasts, however, the harder it may be to preserve the original schedule.
## Some NFL Teams Have Ground Travel Options
The travel risk varies by matchup. Nearby teams may be able to use buses, while long-distance trips would be difficult to replace with road travel at short notice.
– **Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals, 8:20 p.m. ET:** Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are close enough for the Steelers to travel by bus. The Sunday night kickoff also offers more flexibility.
– **Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. ET:** A bus trip from the Los Angeles area to Phoenix would take longer than flying, but it could be manageable with planning. The late-afternoon kickoff provides additional time.
– **Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers, 1 p.m. ET:** Minnesota could travel by bus to Green Bay, although the early kickoff makes a Saturday departure preferable.
– **Buffalo Bills at New York Jets, 1 p.m. ET:** Buffalo could travel by road to northern New Jersey, but the trip would take several hours. Leaving Saturday would better preserve the team’s normal routine.
– **Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m. ET:** The long trip makes a last-minute bus journey unattractive, and the early kickoff leaves little room for delay. If Miami cannot fly Saturday, the league may need to consider whether a Sunday morning charter could arrive in time.
– **San Francisco 49ers at Dallas Cowboys, 4:25 p.m. ET:** A last-minute bus trip from Northern California to Dallas would be impractical. The later kickoff offers some flexibility, but that advantage could disappear if flights remain grounded into Sunday.
## Could Games Be Moved?
If the aviation disruption lasts through Saturday or into Sunday, the league could consider delaying a kickoff or moving a game to Sunday night or Monday. Those options would bring their own complications, including stadium operations, television schedules, security and staffing.
A postponement could also affect teams’ preparation, recovery and plans for the following week. Moving one game would not necessarily resolve the problem if several teams were unable to travel. For now, changes remain contingency possibilities rather than announced plans.
## Patriots and Lions Have Already Reached Germany
The New England Patriots and Detroit Lions are scheduled to play in Munich on Sunday. Both teams completed their transatlantic travel before the ground stop: Detroit departed Thursday evening, and New England had arrived in Germany by Friday.
Because both teams are already at the game site, the U.S. departure restrictions are less likely to affect the matchup itself. Their return journeys could become more complicated if aviation problems persist.
## College Basketball and Football Teams Face Immediate Disruptions
College basketball has already seen two Saturday men’s games postponed. UNC Greensboro could not depart Charlotte for its scheduled visit to Cornell, and Air Force’s game at Pacific was also postponed.
Other programs encountered travel problems. Stonehill was stranded in Dallas while trying to reach Texas Tech, and Idaho State faced difficulties ahead of its game at Seattle University.
The women’s basketball matchup between No. 3 USC and No. 1 South Carolina remained scheduled for Sunday as of Friday evening. USC had been preparing to travel but was required to leave its aircraft at Los Angeles International Airport and return to campus, raising uncertainty about whether the teams could meet as planned.
College football teams also faced disruption ahead of important Saturday games. The affected ranked programs included:
– No. 2 Utah at Arizona
– No. 8 Texas at LSU
– No. 9 Tennessee at Texas A&M
All three games remained on the schedule Friday evening. Tennessee returned to campus after its travel plans were interrupted. Auburn switched to bus transportation for its trip to Mississippi State, while Purdue made similar arrangements to travel to Iowa. Arizona State planned to fly to Orlando on Saturday morning for its game against UCF.
Even if the games go ahead, late arrivals could reduce teams’ rest and preparation time, affecting their usual pregame routines.
## NBA and NHL Teams Also Scramble to Travel
The Brooklyn Nets were aboard an aircraft in New Orleans when their flight to Memphis was halted. They were scheduled to play the Grizzlies on Saturday, leaving little time to complete the trip if restrictions continued.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, after playing in Miami on Friday night, were trying to determine whether they could return home for Saturday’s game against Dallas. The team was also exploring hotel availability in Miami in case travel plans fell through.
In the NHL, the San Jose Sharks were waiting to learn whether they could reach Utah for Saturday’s game. All three professional matchups remained scheduled as of Friday evening.
NBA and NHL teams often have only a short recovery period between games, so even a brief interruption can disrupt their schedules.
The NFL has more time than teams playing on Friday or Saturday, but its margin is limited. If flights resume before the usual Saturday charter departures, Sunday’s games may proceed without major changes. If the shutdown continues into Saturday night or Sunday morning, long-distance travel could put several matchups at risk.
