The Tampa Bay Buccaneers encountered an unexpected hurdle ahead of their 1 p.m. ET game against the Panthers on Sunday.
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported around 6 p.m. ET on Saturday that the Bucs had yet to leave for North Carolina due to mechanical issues that caused them to wait for about five hours on the tarmac at Tampa International Airport.
A couple of hours later, just before 9:30 p.m. ET, NFL Network's James Palmer reported that the Bucs were boarding a new plane to head to Charlotte after roughly six hours of delays. Tampa eventually arrived around 11 p.m. ET, he added.
Fresh off a blowout loss to the Saints in prime time a week ago, the delay presented Tampa with an unforeseen snag on its road to redemption. A win against Carolina would go a long way in restoring some order for Bruce Arians' squad.