UPDATE: The dangerous weather has gotten far enough away from the EverBank Stadium area and fans are being allowed back. Players are trickling onto the field and will get a 15-minute warmup period.
The NFL has set a restart of the game for 3:10 p.m., which would mean a delay of one hour, 16 minutes.
The Jacksonville Jaguars game against the Carolina Panthers on Sept. 7 at EverBank Stadium was suspended at 1:54 p.m., with 8:32 left in the second quarter, due to lightning in the area.
Stadium officials ordered fans in open areas to leave the stadium for cover. A storm cell had formed north of the downtown area.
The Jaguars had just taken a 10-3 lead over the Panthers on a 6-yard touchdown pass from Trevor Lawrence to Hunter Long. The score was set up by an interception by linebacker Foye Oluokun.
Officials cleared the field and announced the delay before the Jags could kick off.
Before that, Cam Little of the Jags and Ryan Fitzgerald of the Panthers traded first-quarter field goals.
The Jaguars used rookie Travis Hunter on 17 offensive plays out of 24 to the point of the interruption. He caught four passes for 22 yards.
When will Jaguars-Panthers game resume?
Stadium officials did not put a timetable on when the game would resume. According to NFL rules, the game is to be delayed when there is lightning detected within 10 miles of the stadium. Play can resume 30 minutes after the last lightning strike within the area is detected.
A similar delay occurred during the NFL opener on Sept. 4 in Philadelphia during the Eagles-Cowboys game. The delay was about 64 minutes.
Last Jaguars weather delay in 2022
The last time a Jaguars game was interrupted by weather was on Nov. 27, 2022 when the start of their home game against the Baltimore Ravens was delayed for 25 minutes.
Last year’s home game against the Tennessee Titans on Dec. 29 was threatened by dangerous weather but is stayed far enough away and the game started on time.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars weather delay: Fans allowed back, game will restart at 3:10 p.m.
Reporting by Garry Smits, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
