Hurricane Sandy forces Steelers to alter travel schedule to New York

The Pittsburgh Steelers face the New York Giants on Sunday, and they have been unable to find a hotel for the night before due to the devastation brought by Hurricane Sandy. The team will fly into the New York-area on Sunday morning, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

NFL teams typically travel to the locations for away games one or two days before the matchup, and have a walk-though practice in the opposing team's stadium. Getting to the city ahead of time also allows players to get a good night's sleep and makes gameday less hectic.

The Steelers will have a bit of a whirlwind Sunday, arriving in the New York/New Jersey area in the morning, playing the game in the afternoon, then flying back to Pittsburgh at night.

This inconvenience comes at a time when Pittsburgh is coming on strong after a slow start. The Steelers have won two-straight games to get to 4-3, and are now just one game behind the fading Baltimore Ravens for the AFC North lead. Pittsburgh will need to be at its best against the Giants on Sunday, as New York is red-hot and has won four-straight games.