The FAA’s Friday ground stop will officially impact the Miami Dolphins in Week 10 versus Indianapolis

A chaotic Friday night of air travel in the United States raised all kinds of challenges for sports teams this weekend. The ripple effect will impact the Miami Dolphins.

Kyle Crabbs — NFL National Writer
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Sep 7, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Miami Dolphins safety Dante Trader Jr. (11) attempts to bring down Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor (28) during the second half of a game at Lucas Oil Stadium. Christine Tannous-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

The start to this weekend in air travel across the United States was…something. An exceptionally rare nation-wide ground stop put a pause on all outgoing air travel. And in some cases, it’s put a tax on sports teams trying to get to their road contests. For the Miami Dolphins? The implications aren’t quite that extreme. But the ripple effect of the matter will indeed touch Miami’s Week 10 contest against the Indianapolis Colts.

There’s going to be a new referee running the show.

The referee for the Miami Dolphins’ Week 10 contest versus Indianapolis has been switched due to the FAA ground stop on Friday night

The NFL announced on Saturday morning that the after-effects of the FAA’s ground-stop on Friday night has forced three backup referees into action, including Miami’s game against the Colts.

It’s a big weekend for the newly appointed referee of Miami’s game, Don Willard. Willard has been charged by the league to serve as the referee for the 1PM kickoff between the Dolphins and Colts, then travel from Indianapolis to Cincinnati in the 4PM window for the Sunday Night Football contest between the Steelers and Bengals. That’s quite a heavy lift for Willard.

If Willard has to drive? He’s looking at a 109 mile drive from Lucas Oil Stadium to Paycor Stadium. It’s probably a two-hour trip. Here’s to Miami finding their ground game on Sunday, allowing them to chew through the clock after a rough two weeks of running the football against the New England Patriots and the Detroit Lions. Indianapolis has been able to be had running the ball as of late. It’s a good opportunity for Miami to help Willard (and themselves) with an effective run game against Indianapolis.

There’s never a dull moment in the NFL, even when two 7-loss teams play.

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