During the third quarter of the 2025 NFL season opener between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, the game was suspended due to poor weather. W
hile the game is currently paused, many fans immediately wondered: Can NFL games be canceled due to bad weather?
While it remains to be seen if tonight’s game in Philadelphia will resume, it wouldn’t be the first time that a game has been postponed or canceled due to weather conditions.
Can NFL Games Be Canceled Due to Weather?
According to the NFL’s rulebook, the commissioner is technically empowered to terminate any game due to an emergency. According to rule No. 17, article No. 4, examples of emergency situations justifying the termination of a game include severely inclement weather, lightning, flooding, and power failure.
Severe weather has created plenty of interesting storylines in recent years across the NFL. While it’s rare for weather to completely cancel a game, there are several examples of games being rescheduled or relocated entirely.
The most recent instance was in early 2024, when Buffalo, New York, was hit with a severe winter storm.
The NFL and New York state governor Kathy Hochul agreed to reschedule the Wild Card playoff game from Sunday, January 14 at 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday, January 15.
In 2022, Buffalo was once again hit with several feet of snow. The NFL was forced to call an audible and relocate the game between the Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns from Buffalo to Detroit, Michigan.
While it was certainly odd to see the Bills “host” the Browns in Detroit, the NFL took the necessary measures to allow the game to eventually be played.
The 2024 NFL Hall of Fame Game between the Chicago Bears and Houston Texans was suspended in the third quarter and ultimately canceled due to heavy rain and lightning. However, this was a preseason game, so the league is a bit quicker to cancel it since it’s just an exhibition contest.
It is very unlikely that the NFL would cancel a game due to lightning; instead, the league will wait for the poor weather to pass and then resume the contest… even if it takes a while. If the lightning strikes continued, the NFL might look to postpone the remainder of the game for another week, but this would be a scheduling nightmare, so the NFL would try to avoid this at all costs.
3 NFL Games Canceled Since 1920
Since the NFL was founded in 1920, only three games have been canceled due to weather or unforeseen circumstances. The only other situation where games were canceled was due to an NFL players’ strike.
On December 10, 1933, a game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Portsmouth Spartans was postponed due to heavy snow and poor attendance. The NFL eventually canceled the game completely three days later and it would be the last game in Spartans’ history, as the team moved to Detroit and became the Lions in 1934.
On November 17, 1935, a game between the Boston Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles was postponed due to a mix of snow and rain. The game was postponed and never played again as both teams finished the regular season with just two wins apiece.
On January 2, 2023, a game between the Bills and Cincinnati Bengals was suspended after Bills safety Damar Hamlin collapsed on the field. It was the first NFL game to be suspended and not resume on the same day. The NFL officially announced the cancellation of the game three days later.
