The status of the season opener between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins has been put into question with Hurricane Irma heading toward the state of Florida.
There already reports that suggest that the NFL has decided to move to the matchup between the Bucs and Phins to their shared bye week in Week 11. With that in mind, Philadelphia Eagles veteran defensive end Chris Long has suggested an alternative scenario for the game.
https://twitter.com/JOEL9ONE/status/905174766453174272
The plan that Long has put forth is a plausible option that could do much more than just find a solution to the pending situation by also helping out the communities that will be affected by Hurricane Irma. There could be thousands made that would then go toward helping the relief effort in rebuilding the damage caused by the natural disaster.
Another factor here beyond just two teams playing 16 games straight is that the Dolphins play Week 10 in London and would not be getting a break from the long trip, which is standard practice in the NFL. This puts the players' health at risk given the lack of time to recover properly from making the trip overseas.
Ultimately, the league should likely look into all scenarios before coming to a clear-cut decision for the game.