Cleveland Browns' Sunday Game Gets Travel Concern After FAA Grounds Flights

The FAA's nationwide flight shutdown raised travel concerns for the Cleveland Browns© X/@Browns

The Cleveland Browns had more to think about than their Week 10 opponent on Friday. A nationwide flight shutdown across the United States raised questions about whether the Houston Texans could reach Cleveland in time for Sunday's game. The FAA later allowed flights to resume, but the problem did not end there. Thousands of passengers faced delays and cancellations, leaving teams and fans with travel plans to sort out before a busy weekend of football.

FAA shutdown creates travel worries for Cleveland Browns

The Federal Aviation Administration issued a nationwide ground stop on Friday after a communications failure affected air traffic control centers.

The order stopped departing flights across the country and disrupted travel for several sports teams preparing for weekend games.

For the Cleveland Browns, the main concern was Houston's journey to Ohio. The Browns were playing at home, and NFL teams mostly traveled on Saturday for Sunday matchups. Their charter flights offered some protection from the problems faced by regular airline passengers, but a longer shutdown could have changed those plans.

According to the Associated Press, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy urged football teams to contact the FAA to arrange their charter flights. He said larger movements would receive priority as air travel returned to normal.

The FAA lifted the ground stop at 8:15 p.m. ET on Friday. Duffy warned that airlines would need time to restore their schedules.

And t more than 6,600 flights had been canceled and another 8,600 delayed during the disruption. Around 1,500 additional cancellations had already been recorded for Sunday.

Cleveland Browns prepare for Deshaun Watson's return

The Browns had another reason to keep their focus on Sunday. Deshaun Watson was set to return as their starting quarterback against the Houston Texans, the team he previously played for.

Watson missed Cleveland's loss to the New Orleans Saints. Shedeur Sanders started in his place and threw for 297 yards and two touchdowns, but the Browns suffered another defeat.

Speaking about facing his former team, Watson said his attention was on helping Cleveland get back to winning. "It's a big opportunity for us. Get back on the winning track, especially in front of our home fans. That's the ultimate focus," Watson said.

The quarterback added that the history between him and Houston was in the past, with both teams now focused on winning. Cleveland entered the matchup with a 5-4 record after back-to-back losses. A win would give the Browns a chance to reach their bye week at 6-4. The game remained scheduled for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, November 15, at Huntington Bank Field, with FOX set to broadcast the matchup.