The Denver Broncos were leading the Buccaneers, 27-7 in Tampa Bay when play was suspended with 6:52 remaining in the fourth quarter due to weather. Fans were told to go inside, according to NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano. Play resumed after the weather cleared, and the Broncos held on to that lead to win the game.
It’s the second such delay in Tampa Bay in two weeks. The Buccaneers’ Week 3 loss to the Los Angeles Rams was also delayed due to lightning. Fans were also told to head inside for their safety last week. That delay was the second time a Rams matchup against the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay had been suspended due to inclement weather.
The Buccaneers lost despite the fact that Denver starting quarterback Trevor Siemian was carted off with a shoulder injury in the first half. Paxton Lynch took over for the Broncos at quarterback, and he finished the game 14 of 24 for 170 yards and a touchdown.
Denver’s defense managed to sack Jameis Winston five times and limited the Buccaneers to just one touchdown.
The game resumed as soon as the weather cleared sufficiently. It would be very unlikely for the NFL to call a game before its completion or cancel a game unless it's absolutely necessary. Had the weather prevented the game from resuming, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell would have had to decide whether or not resuming the game would change its expected outcome. Since the score didn't change after play resumed, Goodell could have gotten away with calling this one early.