The Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans will have to wait to start their Christmas Eve game at Nissan Stadium on Saturday. The game has been delayed by over an hour due to electricity problems stemming from the bitterly cold temperatures in the Nashville, Tennessee, area.
The game was originally scheduled for 1 p.m. ET, but now the NFL is seeking to start the game at 2:02 p.m. ET, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
THESE ARE THE STATES FACING POWER OUTAGES THIS CHRISTMAS EVE
“Those extra two minutes will save the city,” snarked a Twitter user about the odd choice of pushing back the game by an hour and two minutes.
Those extra two minutes will save the city
— Bracket Dom – Primetime Bracketology (@BracketDom) December 24, 2022
Jim Wyatt, a Titans beat reporter, showed a video Saturday morning of how Nissan Stadium has been using a gas-powered heated tarp to prepare the field for the football match.
The record-setting cold temperatures from Winter Storm Elliott put an extra burden on the power supply system in Nashville.
Nashville Mayor John Cooper asked the Tennessee Titans on Saturday morning to postpone their Week 16 game in order to lessen the strain on the power grid.
“I’ve asked the Titans to postpone,” Cooper wrote, “in solidarity with our neighbors.”
I’ve been informed that TVA’s unilateral rolling blackouts will continue. All non-essential businesses should reduce power usage. I’ve asked the @Titans to postpone their 12pm game in solidarity with our neighbors.
TVA needs to invest in infrastructure to withstand extreme temps https://t.co/J0XFq8euGB
— Mayor John Cooper (@JohnCooper4Nash) December 24, 2022
After the Titans delayed the game time, the mayor shared his gratitude.
“I appreciate the Titans delaying kickoff for one hour as @TVAnews commits to immediately ending the rolling blackouts. NES continues to work hard to minimize disruption for residents this holiday weekend,” said the mayor.
I appreciate the @Titans delaying kickoff for one hour as @TVAnews commits to immediately ending the rolling blackouts. NES continues to work hard to minimize disruption for residents this holiday weekend. https://t.co/DyzcfeyjgW
— Mayor John Cooper (@JohnCooper4Nash) December 24, 2022
Nashville Electric Service, one of the 12 largest public electric utilities in the United States that provides power for hundreds of thousands of Tennesseans, noted that the use of power in the area was historic.
“During the 24 hours of Dec. 23, Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) supplied more energy than any other time in its history,” Nashville Electric Service wrote on Twitter.
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Some Tennessee residents questioned why this year seems to be so problematic with the mandatory rolling blackouts.
The Tennessee Valley Authority told local power companies to implement “Step 50” of the Emergency Load Curtailment Plan, which means that rolling blackouts would happen to reduce the stress on the power grid due to the extreme cold weather.
Saturday’s game at Nissan Stadium may be one of the coldest on record, with a 24-degree temperature at the start of the match and a wind chill advisory that is supposed to hold throughout the entire day.
