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The wildfires continuously taking place in the West could affect the NFL teams located near the area. Ahead of their contest versus the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers are said to be monitoring the air quality in the Bay Area.
Despite the wildfires happening and the less-than-ideal air quality, the 49ers took part in practice on Friday. Just 45 minutes before San Francisco began their training, the air quality index was measured at 194.
The NFL mandates 200 as the max air quality index before the league has to postpone or relocate a game. And with San Francisco's game slated to take place at home, there's a chance a relocation happens.
Kyle Shanahan, the head coach of the 49ers, spoke about the current situation with the air quality.
“If it gets to 200, that would be a huge deal,” Shanahan said during an appearance on KNBR on Friday, per Pro Football Talk. “I know when it’s above 150 that does affect a certain group of people that happen to be higher risk, pre-existing conditions, if it got above 150 you could lose a few players, but 200 is the mark where you can’t go out there.”
Of course, with COVID-19 also being a concern, the NFL will want to ensure the safety of the players regardless of what they choose to do. According to ESPN's Josh Weinfuss, the league is already discussing possible alternate options for the 49ers-Cardinals game in case it isn't safe to conduct the game in San Francisco.
According to NFL protocols on air quality, the league will be prepared to relocate a game if there "definitive evidence” that the AQI will stay above 200 for a significant period of time, which includes game day.
— Josh Weinfuss (@joshweinfuss) September 11, 2020
It remains to be seen where the game would be played if it doesn't take place in the Bay Area. Nevertheless, the ongoing wildfires that have caused concern in the West have caught the attention of the NFL. At the same time, hopefully everyone that lives in the West stays safe during these times.
