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Players from the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets mill about after several banks of stadium lights went out during the second half of the Hall of Fame preseason game Thursday night in Canton, Ohio. (AP / David Dermer)

NFL Opener Halted When Stadium Lights Go Dark

By The Associated Press August 3, 2023 at 7:38pm

Several banks of stadium lights went dark during the second half of the Hall of Fame game Thursday night in Canton, Ohio, causing a delay in the matchup between the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns.

The power outage happened at the end of the third quarter with the Jets clinging to a 16-14 lead in the NFL preseason opener.

The outage lasted for roughly 20 minutes.

Lights out fun here at Canton. pic.twitter.com/zp2tjdhnZ1

— DolFans Weekly – Jason Sarney (@Jason_Sarney) August 3, 2023

There was no immediate word on what caused the lights to go out inside Tom Benson Stadium at approximately 10:20 p.m.

There still were some lights on, but it was too dark for play to resume.

As the officials gathered at midfield with Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and Jets coach Robert Saleh, players stretched on the sidelines not knowing if play would resume.

Soon after play started again, Browns rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, a fifth-round draft pick out of UCLA this year, threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Austin Watkins Jr. with 9:33 left to put Cleveland ahead.

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The Browns held on to win the game 21-16.

Jets’ offseason acquisition Aaron Rodgers was a high-profile spectator.

The four-time league MVP watched from the sideline wearing black Jets gear and a headset, giving him more the look of an assistant coach than a star quarterback.

On Wednesday, Rodgers toured the Hall of Fame and got an up-close view of the place where he’ll one day be enshrined.

Before that, he’s expected to return the Jets to glory.

The 39-year-old is not expected to play this preseason — he hasn’t played in an exhibition game since 2018 — and said earlier this week that upcoming joint practices against Tampa Bay and Carolina will help him prepare for the Sept. 11 regular-season opener against Buffalo.

The Browns on Thursday sat quarterback Deshaun Watson, who has high expectations in his second year with Cleveland.

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Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, NFL, Ohio, WJ Wire

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