Ready or not, Chiefs play tonight

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs cut practice short Thursday and began frantically packing up everything from video equipment to a fresh change of underwear, hurrying to Miami ahead of Hurricane Wilma.

The league's decision to switch their game with the Dolphins from Sunday afternoon to 6 tonight did not please the Chiefs, who had offered to host the event and hoped it would at least be moved to a neutral site.

"Candidly, I think without any question, this puts us at a competitive disadvantage," said Chiefs team president Carl Peterson. "It's a lot to ask to shorten your week, which both teams have to do, but then get on an airplane and fly for 3 1/2 hours on the same day you're going to play a 3 1/2-hour National Football League regular-season game."

The Chiefs did not get a decision from the league until Thursday morning.

"We've made a lot of contingency plans, including the possibility of playing [in Kansas City]," said Peterson. "But the league kept vacillating back and forth and finally made a decision.

"It's a challenge to everybody in the organization."

He said the Chiefs will become the first team in NFL history to fly to a city on the same day they'll play a regular-season game there.