PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania — The NFL postponed the Philadelphia Eagles' home game against Minnesota from Sunday night to Tuesday because of an expected blizzard.
The NFL made the move on Sunday afternoon, before any snow had fallen but amid forecasts for perhaps more than a foot of snow in Philadelphia.
The game, with the Eagles chasing a playoff berth, will become the first NFL contest to be played on a Tuesday since 1946.
"We are urging all Philadelphians, please be careful, please be safe," Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter said as he declared a snow emergency as of Sunday afternoon.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league decided to postpone the game to insure that the stadium, parking lots and other infrastructure can be cleared of snow and made safe for fans and workers.
"Due to public safety concerns in light of today's snow emergency in Philadelphia, tonight's Vikings-Eagles game has been postponed," Aiello said.
"Because of the uncertainty of the extent of tonight's storm and its aftermath, the game will be played on Tuesday night at 8 p.m. This will allow sufficient time to ensure that roads, parking lots and the stadium are fully cleared.
"The National Weather Service states that a winter storm warning in Philadelphia remains in effect until 1 pm on Monday."
Eagles coach Andy Reid said he thought the league made the right move.
"We're OK with it," he said. "We're organized and prepared for this, and we completely support what the league did from a safety standpoint for everybody. We got the guys out of the hotel and home, and they'll come back for a walkthrough tomorrow and then to the hotel, and it will be just like a Saturday night before a Sunday game, just a normal Saturday night-Sunday schedule."
The Vikings had already had two home games affected by severe winter weather this season.
Their game against the New York Giants on December 12 was postponed a day after Minneapolis got 15 inches of snow. It was then moved to Detroit when the Metrodome's air-supported roof collapsed in several places under the weight of snow.
The Vikings' game against Chicago the following week was played at the University of Minnesota's outdoor stadium because of the damaged roof.
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