Bears have difficulty getting to Baltimore for game against Ravens

Count the Chicago Bears among the thousands of travelers whose pre-holiday schedules were thrown into disarray by the snowstorm that pummeled the East Coast.

The Bears finally arrived in Baltimore late Saturday night after waiting for a break in the storm sufficient to allow them to travel there for their game Sunday against the Ravens, which the NFL previously had moved back from 1 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. to allow more time for snow removal efforts in and around M&T Bank Stadium.

The snow created scheduling problems for the NFL and travel-related headaches for teams trying to reach East Coast cities for games Sunday. The 49ers-Eagles game Sunday in Philadelphia also was moved from 1 to 4:15 p.m.

The biggest problem, though, was having a visiting team in Baltimore.

The Bears' charter flight from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport to Baltimore on Friday night was canceled. Members of the team's traveling party boarded the plane in Chicago and sat on a runway for about two hours before the flight was canceled because of the snowy conditions in Baltimore, the Chicago Tribune reported.

A passenger told the Tribune there also was a mechanical issue with the plane involved, and the window of opportunity for departing for Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport closed before there was enough time for passengers to switch planes.

The team remained in Chicago for much of the day on Saturday, then departed Saturday night and arrived in Baltimore by about 10:45 p.m., said Bears spokesman Scott Hagel.

It was not clear if the NFL would have further postponed the game if the Bears had experienced additional travel difficulties.

The Bears' travel problems perhaps could provide a competitive advantage for the Ravens, who are in the race for a wild-card playoff berth in the AFC with a record of 7-6. The Bears are 5-8.

NFL teams usually travel on Saturday for a Sunday game, but the Bears attempted to make the trip to Baltimore on Friday because of the weather forecast.

A Ravens spokesman said Saturday that 700 workers were clearing snow from the stadium. The Ravens announced Friday that the workers would stay on the club levels of the stadium and would continue their snow-removal efforts until Sunday.

The Ravens announced Friday that the starting time of the game had been switched on the recommendation of city officials.

The Washington Redskins announced that they're removing an estimated 25 million pounds of snow from FedEx Field in preparation for Monday night's game there against the New York Giants.

The Redskins, according to their announcement, consulted with the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers about snow-removal tactics, and are bringing in more than 1,200 workers to clear snow from the stadium and parking lots. The Redskins encouraged fans to arrive early Monday, with the parking lots scheduled to open at 4:30 p.m. and the stadium gates at 6:30 for the 8:30 p.m. game.

In Philadelphia, there was about six inches of snow at Lincoln Financial Field as of early Saturday afternoon and much more was expected, according to the Eagles' Web site. According to the team's Web site, the game time change was made "to accommodate fans and allow more time for city and stadium personnel to clear streets and walkways in and around the stadium."

The Eagles encouraged fans to take public transportation to the stadium Sunday. But at least the 49ers were in town. A team spokesman said the 49ers arrived in Philadelphia about 10 p.m. Friday and had no travel issues.