Texans Daily

Titans vs. Texans Kickoff Delayed One Hour Due to Power Outages

The mayor of Nashville has called for a delay of the game in order to accommodate the strain on the local power grid due to frigid temperatures across the area.

Timm Hamm

As the Houston Texans get ready to play the Tennessee Titans on Saturday at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, cold weather is affecting millions of lives around the country. 

And it seems pro sports are no exception.

Just hours before a scheduled noon CT kickoff between the two AFC South rivals, Nashville Mayor John Cooper publicly asked the Titans organization to delay the game because of the strain on the power grid from the frigid temperatures that have affected the area.

And the NFL has complied, delaying the kickoff for one hour to 1 p.m. CT. per Adam Schefter.

The Tennessee Valley Authority, which controls power distribution throughout the area, is calling for rolling blackouts to reduce the strain on the power grid, and the Nashville mayor says the Titans should cooperate and delay the kickoff of their game against the Texans.

“I’ve been informed that TVA’s unilateral rolling blackouts will continue. All non-essential businesses should reduce power usage. I’ve asked the Titans to postpone their 12 pm game in solidarity with our neighbors. TVA needs to invest in infrastructure to withstand extreme temps,” Cooper wrote on Twitter.

A delay of more than an hour might've been unreasonable, as fans had no doubt already left home for the stadium and others were already in the parking lots tailgating.

The Texans are prepared to play in one of the coldest games in franchise history on Saturday, with the temperature at kickoff expected to be below 20 degrees with a wind chill just above zero.

The two coldest games to date took place in Chicago and Green Bay. In a Dec. 7, 2008 game at Lambeau Field, the Texans faced the Packers with a kickoff temperature of three degrees and a wind chill of minus-3. A few years before, on Dec 20, 2004, Houston faced the Bears at Soldier Field with a temperature of 12 degrees at kickoff, but the wind chill made it feel minus-8.

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Timm Hamm
TIMM HAMM