Will Buffalo Bills Vs New York Jets Game Be Delayed On Sunday? Latest FAA Ground Stop Update Raises Questions

Will the FAA ground stop affect the Buffalo Bills vs New York Jets game? Latest update explained© X (Formerly Twitter)/@NFL

The Buffalo Bills have a new problem before Sunday's game against the New York Jets, and it has nothing to do with football. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered every departing flight in the country to stay grounded Friday starting around 3:54 p.m. ET. The stop was lifted at about 8:30 p.m. ET. No NFL game has been delayed, and no report shows Buffalo changing its plans. The Bills (7-1) face the Jets (2-7) at MetLife Stadium at 1 p.m. ET Sunday. What remains unclear is how fast the flight backlog clears.

Bills-Jets kickoff still on schedule after FAA ground stop

Nothing about Sunday's kickoff has changed so far. No NFL game has been delayed or postponed because of the stop, and that includes Bills-Jets. The Jets are at home, so they have no flight to worry about. Buffalo carries all of the travel risk in this matchup.

The Bills have not announced when their charter leaves. NFL clubs typically fly out Friday evening or Saturday morning before a Sunday road game, so Buffalo still had room to adjust. The trip covers just 278 miles, and a short flight limits how much a late start can cost. Even a Saturday departure would put the team in New Jersey with a full night before kickoff. If flying fell through, a bus could cover the distance, though teams prefer charters.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said a communications problem at the 22 Air Route Traffic Control Centers, which guide planes between airports, triggered the stop. “FAA technicians are investigating the issue,” Duffy wrote in a statement. Early reports indicate it was not a cyberattack. The halt was the first of its kind since January 2023.

Flight backlogs and what they mean for other NFL teams

Takeoffs resumed, but the delays do not disappear at once. Hundreds of flights sat stalled at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to FOX 5 Atlanta, and delays at O'Hare and Midway topped 200 flights, according to NBC Chicago. Queues that long take hours to clear. American Airlines said flights should expect disruptions for the rest of the day.

NFL teams fly private charters, but the airlines' disruptions would likely extend to all flights. The Friday night lift does not guarantee an on-time Saturday for every club.

Buffalo is not alone. Every road team faces the same clock, including the Carolina Panthers, who visit the New Orleans Saints at 1 p.m. ET Sunday. The New England Patriots and Detroit Lions are in Germany for a 9:30 a.m. ET kickoff in Munich, according to Patriots.com. NFL reporter Mark Maske noted that no team's Sunday plans look beyond repair.

A stop stretching deep into Saturday would have put several clubs at risk, Buffalo included. Many college programs traveled Friday for Saturday games and already felt the effects. The Bills have not released their departure time.