(Nashville) The opening kick of the National Football League game between the Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans was delayed an hour on Saturday due to extremely cold weather and power outages in the Nashville area.
The game was originally scheduled to start at 1 p.m. ET (noon Nashville time). It finally started shortly after 2 p.m. EST.
The Texans ignored this temperature to surprise the Titans with a score of 19-14.
At the start of the game, the mercury was only minus 6.7 degrees Celsius, and the wind factor made it feel like minus 14.4 degrees Celsius. It was the coldest temperature in the franchise’s home game history. On December 31, 2017, the Titans played a home game in minus 5 Celsius.
The Titans released a statement in which they explained that the decision was made in conjunction with the NFL, Local Emergency Management Office (BLGU), Nashville Electrical Department (SEN) and the Mayor’s Office, by ” err on the side of caution to ensure the game would not negatively impact our community in any way. »
The team also said it was working to cut off all non-essential power around Nissan Stadium, although fans will have access to the stands.
“At all times, the operation of the game remained secondary to the well-being of our community, and we cannot thank the BLGU and SEN enough for their dedication to the safety of our neighbors,” the Titans said in a statement.
With about 75 minutes remaining in the game, the mercury was just minus 8.3 degrees Celsius, with the wind factor below minus 15 Celsius.
Also, Nashville Mayor John Cooper wrote on social media asking everyone, especially non-essential businesses, to reduce their electricity use, with the Tennessee Valley Authority resorting to power cuts to protect the power grid.
After the delay was announced, Cooper quickly thanked the team’s executives.
The Titans (7-8) will already have little time to recover and prepare for their next game, scheduled for Thursday night against the Dallas Cowboys at Nissan Stadium.
Equipped with blowers, workers were busy clearing light snow from the playing surface about 90 minutes before kickoff. No players from either team were on the pitch at the time.
By delaying the kickoff by 60 minutes, the game risks ending around the scheduled sunset time of 5:38 p.m.
The Nashville Predators played and lost 3-2 in overtime to the Colorado Avalanche on Friday night.
The NHL team president noted on social media Friday night that the Predators powered their arena using generators.