Hurricane Milton: Jacksonville Jaguars delay arrival in London for Chicago Bears game due to extreme weather

The Jacksonville Jaguars plan to arrive in London later than expected because of Hurricane Milton ahead of their game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, live on Sky Sports.

A team spokesperson said on Thursday that the team’s departure time has been “slightly” delayed, so the team will arrive on Friday.

Hurricane Milton has brought powerful winds, a deadly storm surge and flooding to much of Florida after making landfall along the Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm.

The Jaguars cancelled a Friday press conference at the team hotel outside London and rescheduled it for Saturday morning. They play the Bears the next day at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

For their London games, the Jaguars regularly depart on Thursday night and arrive Friday morning. They’ve played in London 11 times.

Jacksonville (1-4) won for the first time this season last week. The Bears previously have played twice in London, facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2011 and the then-Oakland Raiders in 2019.

On Wednesday, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson expressed confidence in sticking to the travel plan.

“It could affect some timing tomorrow trying to get out, but it looks good, it looks promising anyway, for our window to get out of here sort of on time with not too many delays or hiccups in the next 24 hours or so,” he said.

The NFL said in a statement that: “No changes are expected to Sunday’s schedule.”

Like last season, the Jaguars will be playing back-to-back games in London. After facing the Bears, they stay and play the following Sunday against the New England Patriots at Wembley Stadium.

“We still have to get over there and get acclimated quickly. The travel, all of that, is familiar to us,” continued Pederson. “That does give you a peace of mind traveling over there. The bottom line is when you get there, you still have to get acclimated, keep the guys rolling Friday and Saturday, and get ready for the game on Sunday.”

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said he shared with new teammates yet to make the trip across the Atlantic Ocean that the key is getting your body “on track” as soon as possible.

“That time change can get you if you’re not careful,” he said.

Considered the home team this week, Bears officials opted for an earlier departure and have been in London since Tuesday, affording players more time to rest and adjust to a six-hour time difference from Chicago. They held their first full-speed practice on Thursday after walk-through workouts on Wednesday.

“It doesn’t seem like there’s any numbers that tell you that one way or another,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said of the team heading to London days before the Jaguars. “But to me, it’s about focusing on us. That’s really all we can do.”

Watch the Chicago Bears face the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday October 13, live on Sky Sports NFL, with kickoff at 2.30pm. Also stream with NOW.