When a prime-time game stops for something other than a flag or an injury, the broadcast booth is left to fill the silence. That’s what unfolded on Thursday Night Football, where the Green Bay Packers-Carolina Panthers game paused after a drone was spotted near the stadium. With play stopped, Al Michaels addressed the situation on the broadcast.
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“Timeout taken here,” Michaels said during the broadcast. “There’s apparently, we’re being told there’s a drone. Not ours. League is very strict about making sure a drone doesn’t penetrate the outer rim of the stadium. So that’s the issue. He’s got a little force going. Hey man, I, you know, he’s got some want to get going here.”
Thursday night’s Packers-Panthers game on Amazon Prime Video hit an unexpected pause at Lambeau Field when a drone drifted over the stadium. Green Bay was up 20-10 and had the ball facing third-and-one, a chance to stretch the lead, when the officials stepped in and sent both teams away from the action.
For a moment, the players didn’t seem to know what was going on. According to the broadcast, they were told to go back to their sidelines and wait it out while the drone cleared the area.
There’s a good reason the league doesn’t mess around with this. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules ban drones and model aircraft within three nautical miles of any stadium that seats more than 30,000 people, and NFL games are specifically named in the guidelines.
Lambeau Field holds 81,441, so it easily falls under that restriction. The ban kicks in an hour before the game and stays in place until an hour after it ends.
This isn’t the first time a drone has stopped a game. Back in January, the Steelers and Ravens had to pause their Wild Card game when one flew over the stadium. A 43-year-old man has pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to one year of probation, 100 hours of community service, and a $500 fine.
Nobody knows yet who was flying the drone, and it’s still unclear how close it got to the fans in the stands.
The hold-up lasted only a few minutes. Once the Packers offense and Panthers defense got back on the field, Green Bay made the most of the restart. On the very first play after the delay, Jordan Love found Josh Jacobs for a 4-yard touchdown, pushing the Packers’ lead out to 17 points.
With an 8-point lead, Green Bay is in a strong spot, but the game is still going, and Carolina has time to answer. For now, the Packers are focused on getting the win done.