The NFL’s insistence on playing around the globe has led the league to France this weekend. However, the ongoing Paris riots are creating a very unstable situation ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers-New Orleans Saints game.
Sunday’s Week 7 games are slated to kick off with the Steelers and Saints contest. That’s if the league is able to continue on with its current plans.
Unrest in France’s capital city has led to major soccer team Paris Saint-Germain postponing their Sunday match at the request of local police. The defending UEFA Champions League winners will play their game against Lyon on Monday, per The Athletic.
Paris has seen an increase in riots over recent weeks as protesters remain upset with president Emmanuel Macron. Many residents and students cite rising cost of living, as well as demands for better education and school conditions.
Meanwhile, the NFL seemingly has no plans to pivot heading into the Steelers-Saints contest. The league maintains that enhanced security will be enough to deal with the current issues in Paris. That could be risky though given the nature of the ongoing riots.
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Does the NFL have a backup plan?
As Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio points out, the NFL already plays a lot of international games in Europe. It’s unideal to move the matchup at this stage, but it certainly seems feasible considering the potential risk the league is taking on.
The NFL just spent the last three weeks hosting games in England at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium. Neither stadium is in use for the upcoming weekend, creating a potential fallback option for commissioner Roger Goodell and Co.
There’s a very small chance the NFL would reschedule the game for the future considering the league’s been down this road before. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and major field concerns in Brazil earlier this season for the Baltimore Ravens’ win against the Dallas Cowboys created uncertainty over holding games.
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Ultimately, games are very rarely postponed in the NFL. Technically, Sunday’s matchup for the Saints is considered a home contest, so the league could pivot and give New Orleans an additional game at Caesars Superdome as well.
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