Chiefs, Buccaneers playing as scheduled in Tampa amid Hurricane Ian

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers announced Thursday that they will host the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night (8:20 p.m. ET) at Raymond James Stadium, as planned.

With Hurricane Ian making landfall on Florida’s west coast Wednesday, it was uncertain whether the game would be moved to an alternate date or venue.

The Buccaneers released the following statement Thursday:

“Our thoughts and prayers remain with the many thousands in the Southwest Florida region who have been severely impacted by Hurricane Ian. We are also very thankful that the Tampa Bay area was spared the most damaging consequences of this powerful storm. We have informed the NFL, after consulting with local and state agencies, that we are ready to play Sunday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Raymond James Stadium as originally scheduled.

“We would like to thank all of the local government agencies and the thousands of emergency personnel who worked tirelessly over the past few days to ensure that our area would be ready to respond if needed. We would also like to acknowledge the Miami Dolphins organization for their assistance and hospitality in allowing us to use their practice facilities this week.

“We also want to express our sincere appreciation to the first responders and emergency personnel who are already battling the elements, saving lives, and helping our neighbors in those most impacted areas to our south.

“We will have additional information soon on ways we can join together to support our community and those most impacted by the storm.”

NFL history was made the last time these two teams met, as the Buccaneers became the first franchise to play (and win) a Super Bowl in their home stadium. 

Both clubs enter Week 4’s tilt at 2-1. The Chiefs are looking to bounce back after an upset loss to the Indianapolis Colts last week. Patrick Mahomes needs 152 passing yards to become the fastest player in league history to reach 20,000 passing yards — in just his 67th career game.

Similarly, the Bucs hope to rebound from last week’s narrow loss to the Green Bay Packers.