FAA Investigating Drone Incursion at Thursday Night NFL Game

The incident was the latest in a series of drone-related intrusions over American pro sports stadiums, worrying NFL officials and U.S. lawmakers alike.

Jack Daleo

Friday, November 17, 2023 at 04:14 PM ET

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A game at M&T Bank Stadium, home to the Baltimore Ravens, was halted twice because of a rogue drone. [Courtesy: Joey Pulone/Baltimore Ravens]

Key Takeaways:

NFL games are experiencing a rising trend of drone incursions, exemplified by a recent Ravens-Bengals game that was halted twice due to an unauthorized drone.
These drone incidents pose significant safety and security risks to players and spectators, with concerns about potential harm or the drones carrying dangerous payloads, alarming league officials and lawmakers.
Current federal law grants counter-drone authority almost exclusively to the FBI and DHS for major events, leaving local law enforcement with limited ability to address threats at regular games.
A bipartisan bill aiming to extend and broaden federal counter-drone authority to state and local law enforcement is stalled, threatening the expiration of existing federal powers and potentially leaving stadiums more vulnerable.

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Close to two years ago, an unwelcome visitor to an NFL playoff game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Oakland (now Las Vegas) Raiders briefly drew fans’ eyes away from the action on the playing field and up to the skies. The culprit? A small drone.

Perhaps the Bengals are simply unlucky. Because this week, the team’s game against its divisional rival the Baltimore Ravens on Amazon Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football was halted not just once, but twice, by another drone. The stoppage was the latest in a rising number of drone-related incursions at NFL stadiums that have worried league officials and U.S. lawmakers alike.