NFL Games Cancelled Due To Injury And Weather

After the game was cancelled following Damar Hamlin's medical emergency, the 2023 preseason games saw two more incidents with the games being halted during play.

The injury situation was the first time an NFL game was cancelled due to injury since 1933 and the fourth time in the league's history that a regular season game was cancelled.

There have been three instances in the NFL where a player has suffered an injury and the game had to be suspended during play. In the remaining two situations, the games had been counted and were terminated and not cancelled. 

Buffalo Bills-Cincinnati Bengals

NFL game postponed for injury was in Week 17 on 2 January 2023 when Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field. The game was postponed indefinitely and later cancelled.

Damar Hamlin, who plays as a safety, tackled Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals in the first quarter. Hamlin stood up after attempting the tackle and suddenly fell to the ground.

The sudden fall while playing is always worrisome and Hamlin was motionless after the fall. The paramedics and the trainers took only ten seconds to arrive at his side with the first responders initiating CPR and defibrillation alongside other required procedures to resuscitate him.

Hamlin had suffered from an episode of commotio cordis which is 97% fatal if the condition is not treated within three minutes. All thanks to the medical team and responders who were so quick to respond to the emergency.

The game had 5:58 left in the very first quarter and the game was suspended and was to be resumed after a short while as planned by the referees. The two head coaches Zac Taylor of the Bengals and Sean McDermott of the Bills discussed and concluded the game to be postponed.

After three days on January 5, the game was officially called off by the NFL and would not be played. Since it was at the end of the regular season, the playoff format had some temporary changes made due to the game being called off.

New England Patriots-Green Bay Packers

NFL games suspended due to injury were during Week 2 of the preseason games when Isaiah Bolden suffered an injury after a collision with his teammate.

The preseason game at the home field of the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field witnessed the second incident of the year on August 19.

Rookie cornerback Isaiah Bolden had a collision with Patriots' teammate Calvin Munson and as a result, could not get up after the fall from the impact. Bolden had to be taken off the field due to the severity of the injury.

The medical staff of both franchises immediately catered to Bolden who was transported to a local hospital for further evaluation and treatment. Bolden after an overnight stay at the hospital for observation was released the next day.

Patriots game suspended with 10:27 left in the fourth quarter and won the game 21-17 against the Packers. The game was legally terminated and not cancelled.

Miami Dolphins-Jacksonville Jaguars

A week after Bolden's injury, another rookie Daewood Davis of the Dolphins had to be stretched off the field due to an injury from a hit. The wide receiver was hit by Dequan Jackson on a pass play in the fourth quarter.

In a matter of just one week, another game had to be called off before the end of normal time. The game still had 8:32 left in the fourth quarter. The Week 3 game on August 26 was also called off after both teams agreed to it. The Jaguars won the terminated game 31-18.

NFL games cancelled due to weather conditions are:

• Dallas Cowboys-Houston Texans: due to Hurricane Harvey.
• Arizona Cardinals-New Orleans Saints: due to Hurricane Ida.

Although only one regular season game has been cancelled due to weather which was back in 1935, the two games that were cancelled in 2017 and 2021 were both preseason games.

Dallas Cowboys-Houston Texans

The 2017 Governor's Cup matchup between the Cowboys had to be cancelled due to the effects of Hurricane Harvey. The annual preseason game between the two sides hailing from Texas was scheduled for August 31.

The game was to be played in Houston and was relocated to Arlington as Houston was flooded due to heavy rains from the hurricane.

The game was called off later on so that the players could return to Houston and be with their families and help in the relief efforts. The Texans had relocated to Dallas due to the storm and wanted to move back to Houston and needed more time to do so. Therefore, they chose to cancel the game.

Arizona Cardinals-New Orleans Saints

NFL games suspended due to weather was the preseason game between the Cardinals and the Saints scheduled for 28 August 2021. It was a result of Hurricane Ida.

The Cardinals and the Saints matchup was Game 3 of their preseason schedule and the game which was scheduled at 7 p.m. on Saturday was initially postponed to noon and to be played at the Caesars Superdome.

NFL Games Postponed Due to Weather

Weather conditions and natural disasters are something that are hard to predict and even with the latest technological advancements, it is unavoidable.

Weather conditions are often major contributors towards games being postponed and in some cases, the games have to be relocated to a different stadium or city altogether.

The NFL's scheduling of games and the way the league functions have always been aware of how these calamities might disrupt a game and have always been prepared. It is very rare for a game to be cancelled due to bad weather as most of the games are either rescheduled or the start of the game is postponed by a few hours.

Since some of the stadiums or the pitches might be damaged or the venue might be a risk, the games are often moved to neutral venues or played during the bye week.

Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was a major hurricane and had quite an impact on New Orleans with 80% of New Orleans flooded by August 31. The Saints' home field was used to support people who were not able to evacuate and as a result, their games were all relocated to different venues.

NFL QB suspended 6 games was Jake Haener of the New York Saints for the violation of the NFL's performance-enhancing drug policy and will lose $250,000.

The fourth-round pick of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Fresno State failed a drug test and was found to be positive for a banned PED substance. This means that Haener will miss the first six weeks of the 2023-2024 regular season games and will be available for return on October 16.

He has since stated that he was not aware of how the banned substance got into his system as none of his prescribed medications and supplements had any traces of the banned PED. He has taken full responsibility for the violation of the policy and issued an apology to the Saints organization.

The 24-year-old quarterback has decided not to appeal the decision and as a result, will end up letting go of the $250,000 of his $750,000 rookie base salary.

In a similar case, Amani Bledsoe has been suspended for the first 17 games of the 2023 season for violating the NFL's PED policy. The decision was served for the defensive lineman on May 2, 2023, who is currently a free agent.

This is the second time Bledsole was suspended for violating the PED policy as he had already served one suspension back in 2022.

He was suspended on February 23, 2022, for the very same violation and was given a suspension of six weeks while he was signed with the Tennessee Titans to the practice squad.