The Bears are “95 percent” sure they’ll travel to Tampa this weekend to play the Buccaneers in the wake of Hurricane Irma, coach John Fox said Monday.
On the small chance that Raymond James Stadium is unable to host a game, Fox said the Bears would play the game on the road somewhere.
A game seems probable, though; Illinois is scheduled to play the University of South Florida at the same spot on Friday.
Hurricane Irma passed through the Tampa area late Sunday and into Monday. Officials in Florida say more than half the state’s residents are without power. Still, the storm — which touched down in the Florida Keys and then Marco Island — was not as severe as once feared.
Fox’s waterfront home and boat on Marco Island, just south of Naples, emerged fine — though his roof tiles and pool cage were damaged, he said.
“We got plenty of wind damage,” he said. “But at the end of the day I think it was all pretty good for all of south Florida.”