The New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings are scheduled to each other in Week 14 of the NFL season. But thanks to blizzard conditions in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region, there's some question as to where the game will be played.
The Giants and Vikings were originally scheduled to play on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, but severe weather prevented the Giants from flying into Minneapolis and the team had to be detoured to Kansas City. The NFL then decided to push the game to Monday night, as the Giants wouldn't have been able to arrive in Minneapolis until three hours before kickoff.
But the heavy snow (more than 17 inches from Friday to Saturday) has now appeared to render the Metrodome unsuitable to host a football game on Monday night. Snow caused the roof of the stadium to collapse early Sunday morning. According to reports, the teflon roof is torn in three places. Photos and television reports show that the roof, normally inflated into a dome, has sunken below the top level of the stadium and may even be hanging close to the field.
The NFL is now exploring alternative sites where the Giants-Vikings game can be played. One option is TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, the home of the University of Minnesota football team. But extremely cold conditions (forecast for four degrees or below by kickoff) make an outdoor venue undesirable.
According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, another option is Ford Field in Detroit, the Lions' home stadium. It's a domed stadium, travel would be roughly equal for the Giants and Vikings, and FOX would already have television broadcasting equipment in place, since the network will be televising Sunday afternoon's game between the Lions and Green Bay Packers.
Mortensen reports that the NFL has already contacted the Lions and Ford Field about the possibility of hosting the game, which would be played on Monday night. The delay could also mean that Vikings quarterback Brett Favre would be available to play, with another day to rest his injured shoulder.