Weather concerns prompt the NFL to postpone the Minnesota-Philadelphia game

Delay of game. In this case it wasn’t a penalty but a precaution.

With a blizzard bearing down on Philadelphia, the NFL took the highly unusual step Sunday of postponing the nationally televised night game between the Eagles and Minnesota Vikings for safety reasons. The game has been rescheduled for Tuesday night (5 p.m. PST, Ch. 4).

In a written statement, the NFL said the decision was made “because of the uncertainty” of the impending storm, and would “allow sufficient time to ensure that roads, parking lots and the stadium are fully cleared.”

Not everyone agreed with the choice, especially considering foul winter weather is a staple of football. Even Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, who does commentary on Eagles games, said he did “not at all” agree with the decision.

“This is football; football’s played in bad weather,” Rendell told KYW-TV. “I think the fans would have gotten there, the subways work and the major arteries are still open, and other fans would have stayed home — but you play football regardless of the weather.”

Eagles Coach Andy Reid, whose team won the NFC East on Sunday by virtue of Green Bay’s victory over the New York Giants but still has the incentive of securing a first-round bye, said he was “OK” with the decision. It does, however, mean the Eagles have a very short week to prepare for Sunday’s finale against Dallas.

“We’re organized and prepared for this, and we completely support what the league did from a safety standpoint for everybody,” Reid said. “We got the guys out of the hotel and home, and they’ll come back for a walkthrough tomorrow and then to the hotel, and it will be just like a Saturday night before a Sunday game, just a normal Saturday night Sunday schedule.”

As for the Vikings, this is another twist in their already bizarre season. Their Dec. 12 game against the Giants was postponed a day and moved to Detroit after the Metrodome in Minneapolis deflated under 15 inches of snow.

The next week, the Vikings’ game against Chicago was played at the University of Minnesota’s outdoor stadium because of the yet-to-be-repaired roof.

So it wasn’t a surprise Sunday when Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, who sat out last week’s game because of a knee injury, shrugged off the latest setback.

“Hey,” he said, “at least it’s another couple of days to heal.”

The “ Brett Favre Watch” also is extended a couple days. He had been doubtful to play Sunday because of a concussion suffered last week.

sam.farmer@latimes.com

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