The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are making an early journey to New Orleans to dodge the path of Hurricane Milton.
The squad declared they'll depart from Tampa on Tuesday morning, transferring their operations to the New Orleans region for the rest of the week. The 3-2 Buccaneers are set to face off against the 2-3 New Orleans Saints in an NFC South divisional contest on Sunday.
The Bucs got an additional couple of days to heal following a thrilling overtime setback to another NFC South foe, the Atlanta Falcons, on Thursday. Meanwhile, the Saints will aim to rebound from their loss to the defending Super Bowl champions, Kansas City Chiefs, on Monday.
Milton has clocked speeds of 175 mph and was categorized as a Category 5 hurricane on Monday, making it the most intense storm to emerge anywhere globally this year and one of the 10 strongest (joint ninth) hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic.
It's projected to revert to Category 5 strength on Tuesday morning and maintain that intensity throughout the day. The hurricane is expected to vary in intensity before ultimately hitting land on Wednesday as a Category 3 storm.
Florida hasn't fully recovered from the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene, which occurred less than two weeks ago.
"Milton has the capacity to rank among the most destructive hurricanes on record in west-central Florida," warned the National Hurricane Center.
"Milton remains a relatively confined hurricane, but its wind field is expected to further expand as it approaches Florida. In fact, the predicted projection suggests that the hurricane and tropical-storm-force winds will almost double in size by the time it hits land."
Keep up-to-date on Hurricane Milton here.
CNN's Allison Chinchar and Brandon Miller participated in compiling this report.
Despite the challenges posed by Hurricane Milton, the players are determined to focus on their upcoming match. The 3-2 Buccaneers will need to show resilience on the football field, as the sport provides an excellent distraction from the extreme weather conditions.
