Why These NFL Games Were Canceled & Postponed

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The fact that the NFL season is only 17 games and that the playoffs are a single-game elimination format makes every game that much more important. Therefore the NFL doesn't postpone or suspend games without exploring every possible avenue first. It's easy for the MLB to move a game to another day due to a rain delay, given that there are 162 games and double-headers can be squeezed in. The NFL on the other hand, needs players rested and a week of preparation before a game, so it's rare that they will suspend a game, unless there truly is no other option. Let's revisit some instances where they were forced to do so.

If there's one thing the NFL hates to do, it's canceling or even postponing a game. Unlike baseball or basketball, there isn't as much room in a season for a makeup game and thus this can throw off team schedules. It can be a bit easier in the preseason, yet there have been times the NFL has been forced to put off a game, usually due to severe weather.

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However, outright canceling a game has rarely happened in NFL history. The reasons can vary from bad conditions to issues involving players. There have also been cases where events completely out of the league's control have led to games being put off or simply called off altogether. These are ten notable examples of when the NFL was forced to suspend or cancel a game to show how even football isn't immune to real-life events.

UPDATE: 2024/02/01 18:00 EST BY STEFANO MOCELLA

The fact that the NFL season is only 17 games and that the playoffs are a single-game elimination format makes every game that much more important. Therefore the NFL doesn't postpone or suspend games without exploring every possible avenue first. It's easy for the MLB to move a game to another day due to a rain delay, given that there are 162 games and double-headers can be squeezed in. The NFL on the other hand, needs players rested and a week of preparation before a game, so it's rare that they will suspend a game, unless there truly is no other option. Let's revisit some instances where they were forced to do so.

11 1982 Player's Strike Canceled A Ton Of Games

57-Day Strike Shortened Season To 9 Games

The NFLPA went on strike from Weeks 3-10 due to demanding a wage scale based on percentage of gross revenues of the league to be implemented
The final six games were played as scheduled
The NFL expanded the 1982 playoffs from 10 to 16 teams

One of the most devastating shake-ups in NFL history was in 1982, when half the season was lost. After week 2, the players, unable to reach an agreement on new pay conditions, went on a 57-day strike. By the time it was finished, the calendar had hit November, in what should've been Week 11.

The NFL decided to let the last six weeks play out as scheduled and then week 17 for some intra-league games to try and spark fan interest. This led to a complex playoff structure, leaving Washington to be Super Bowl champions with an 8-1 record and finishing one of the odder seasons in NFL history.

10 1995 Chargers-Oilers: Bad Astroturf

Preseason Game Canceled Minutes Before Kickoff

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The Astrodome's astroturf did not meet standards to play
Oilers owner sued the NFL for canceling the game
Conspiracy theory claims it was a ploy for the NFL to force Oilers move to Nashville

There are last-minute moves because of weather or other issues. But the 1995 preseason game between the Chargers and the Oilers was the first time an NFL game was canceled literally minutes before kickoff and that's because of….astroturf. The officials declared the field was simply too bad for play to cancel the game.

This led to Oilers owner Drayton McLane Jr. suing the NFL, claiming this was a "conspiracy" to force the Oilers to move to Nashville. Nothing came of it, as the NFL did have to work faster to make sure fields were better for future play.

9 Ravens-Eagles 2001: Poor Field Conditions

Poor Turf On Eagles' Shared Home With The Phillies

The Eagles formerly played their home games at Veterans Stadium
Preseason game was canceled after the Ravens argued playing conditions weren't safe
Grounds crew attempted to create makeshift trenches

When teams of different sports share the same stadium, there are going to be problems. That hit the Eagles hard in a 2001 preseason game against the Ravens just days after the Phillies played in Veterans Stadium.

The grounds crew simply used cutouts to try and hide the baseball diamond lines, creating makeshift trenches with the Ravens arguing this made it unsafe to play. The Eagles had to agree as players literally sank into the ground in some areas. The game was canceled and the publicity over this mess is a good reason why the Eagles and Phillies have separate homes today.

8 Terrorist Attacks Of 9/11 Cancelled An Entire Week Of NFL Games

All Week 2 Games Postponed Due To Terrorist Attacks

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It's hard to argue with a mass postponement of games following a national tragedy. Week 1 of the 2001 NFL season concluded with a Monday night contest between the New York Giants and Denver Broncos. The next morning, the September 11 terrorist attacks occurred, rocking the United States.

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The NFL elected to postpone all week 2 games, both for security concerns and uniting in mourning. They resumed with special tributes to first responders and a new sense of national unity. The postponed games were made up after the regularly scheduled Week 17, delaying the playoffs, but it was hard to argue the reasons why.

7 2011 Hall of Fame Game: Owners Lockout

No Preseason Or Regular Season Games Affected

The NFL Lockout lasted until July due to owners and players not reaching a collective-bargaining agreement
Training camps started late, prompting the cancelation of the Hall Of Fame game
The regular season proceeded as scheduled

It may be a bit forgotten today, but back in 2011, there was a serious worry the 2011 season might not happen. Since March of that year, an ongoing conflict between players and owners had led to a lockout, throwing teams into disarray. Both sides finally came to the bargaining table for a new deal in July.

However, that meant training camps started late and so the NFL decided to cancel the annual Hall of Fame game which was to be between the Bears and then-St. Louis Rams. Fans would take that over the season itself being postponed to show another way conflicts between players and owners can cause problems.

6 2016 Hall of Fame Game: Bad Field Conditions

Paint Mishap Causes Late Cancelation

Wrong kind of paint was used for the markers
Turf was left melted and cracked
Fans in attendance were not informed ahead of time

Often a highlight of the Hall of Fame ceremony, the 2016 edition was to have a preseason showdown between the Packers and Colts at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton. Just hours before the game, it was canceled due to the horrible field conditions. Incredibly, someone had used the wrong type of paint and the attempts to heat it up caused the turf to melt and crack.

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They tried paint thinner, only to learn that would harm the players. The topper was the fans in attendance not being told of the cancelation until right before the game was to begin, resulting in some bad press for the NFL.

5 2017 Governor's Cup: Hurricane Harvey

Storm Became A Rallying Cry For The Houston Texans' Season

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Game was originally set to relocate to Dallas
Houston Texans elected to cancel the game
The Governor's Cup is the annual Dallas-Houston preseason game

A major concern with games being held in August is being hit by bad weather. A good example was the Governor's Cup, the annual preseason game between the Cowboys and the Texans. It was to be held in Houston, but Hurricane Harvey dumped a score of rain across Texas, flooding roads.

The plan was to relocate the game to Dallas, but the Texans elected to cancel the entire game, so players could get to their families in Houston. This was far from the last time a huge storm would end up affecting an NFL game.

4 Dolphins-Buccaneers 2018: Hurricane Irma

Game Was Rescheduled For November

South Florida was hit hard by Hurricane Irma
Dolphins and Bucs had the same scheduled bye week
Bucs won the rescheduled game 30-20

Once more, Mother Nature threw a wrinkle into the NFL schedule. On September 10th, 2017, the Dolphins and Buccaneers were to face off in a big early season matchup. But Hurricane Irma hit Florida hard, doing damage to both Miami and Tampa Bay, where the game was to be held.

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As fate had it, both teams had the same bye week in November and thus, the NFL was easily able to reschedule the game for then. Yet it's another sign of how helpless the NFL (and humans in general) is against a massive force of nature.

3 COVID-19 Pandemic Put A Major Dent In The 2020 NFL Season

13 Games Postponed Throughout The Season

The 2020 Covid-19 pandemic naturally caused some havoc among NFL teams. The entire preseason along with the Pro Bowl was canceled and even when games got underway, it took just one positive test (or ten) to scuttle some games at the last minute.

The strict rules in California meant the 49ers had to reschedule games to December and play them in Arizona. In total, 13 games had to be rescheduled because of positive tests among players, some by a couple of days and others by weeks. Three games were also postponed in 2021 due to Covid tests as the pandemic was a rough one for NFL schedulers.

2 Cardinals vs Saints 2021: Hurricane Ida

Saints' Week 1 Game Moved To Jacksonville

Cardinals-Saints preseason game was not rescheduled
Saints' first home game was played in Jacksonville
Saints returned to New Orleans for Week 4

This is a rare outright cancelation of a game with no makeup date, as it was a preseason matchup. The Cardinals and the Saints had been set to face off on August 28, 2021. However, Hurricane Ida hit New Orleans hard, causing the entire game to be called off with no makeup date set for it.

The damage done by the hurricane also caused the Saints' regular-season opener against the Packers, which was to be September 12th, to be moved to Jacksonville. The Saints were able to finish out the year in New Orleans despite the harsh damage.

1 Bengals Vs Bills: Damar Hamlin Collapses

Monday Night Football Game Suspended In 1st Quarter

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Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin collapsed in opening quarter
Game was never resumed or rescheduled, despite playoff implications
Hamlin made a full recovery and returned the following season

This is the most recent example of a suspended game and one of the most shocking in NFL history. In the first quarter of a huge matchup between the Bills and the Bengals on January 2nd, 2023, Bills safety Damar Hamlin made a brutal tackle on Tee Higgins. After rising, Hamlin collapsed and CPR was performed on the field.

The game was suspended on the spot and after an hour, both teams and the league decided to call it off with the Bills ahead 7-3. Despite the game having playoff implications, with the Bills and Bengals battling for playoff seeding, the league, and both teams, elected not to finish the game at a later date and the game was not factored into playoff seedings.

Most importantly of all, Hamlin would make a full recovery and was back on the Bills' roster for the 2023 season.