The NFL Is Closely Watching Hurricane Joaquin

Hurricane Joaquin, currently churning off the Bahamas, is expected to dump a ton of rain on the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast at best, and at worst, come ashore as a powerful storm. Some models put it arriving in Virginia, perhaps right in time for Sunday afternoon’s Eagles-Skins game.

According to the both teams are in discussions with the NFL on contingency plans, with possibilities including postponing or moving the game.

“We are monitoring the forecast and having dialogue with both teams,” said Greg Aiello, the NFL’s senior vice president of communications.

“Well, we’ll wait until Sunday to know what exactly is going to happen,” Philadelphia Coach Chip Kelly said, “but it’s something that we’ve been monitoring.”

The NFL is actually lucky that just one team in the storm’s potential path is at home this weekend. The Ravens, Jets, and Giants are on the road, while the Patriots are on their bye week.

If the Eagles-Skins game does have to be postponed, there appears to be an ideal solution: both Philly and Washington have their byes in Week 8 and the game could be played then, without having to arrange a neutral site or forcing D.C. to forego a home game.

The forecast is tricky as hell right now, with the big question over whether Joaquin will take a left hook and make land or drift relatively harmlessly out to sea. Recent model runs are increasingly shifting East, but no one will know anything definitive until Friday or Saturday, at which point the NFL should be able to make its decision on Sunday’s game.