Bengals-Ravens Thursday Night Football game delayed by a drone in the stadium
The Cincinnati Bengals’ game against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night was briefly delayed in the second quarter.
Why? A drone flew over the stadium. It was spotted hovering high above the field with blinking lights and, naturally, everyone made the same joke — Jim Harbaugh is at it again.
An administrative issue caused a brief delay in Thursday's Bengals vs. Ravens game.
The issue? A drone was in the stadium. pic.twitter.com/96g4bE4nra
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 17, 2023
Drones wandering into packed football stadiums and forcing stoppages isn’t a new situation. The Ohio State-Maryland game was briefly paused last month because of the same issue.
The NFL’s Chief of Secury told NBC News last month there were around 2,500 drone incursions over NFL stadiums last season, up from 1,300 the year prior.
Concerns about the security risks posed by drones flying over stadiums full of unsuspecting fans have led executives in the NFL and other professional sports leagues to seek congressional help that would give local law enforcement agencies the ability to bring down rogue drones.
The Bengals-Ravens game has since resumed and made its way to halftime.