A drone flying above M&T Bank Stadium halted a Steelers’ drive in the third quarter of the Ravens’ eventual 28-14 wild-card playoff victory on Saturday night — an issue that has plagued Baltimore’s games before.
“The Maryland Stadium Authority can confirm that at 10:04 p.m. an unauthorized drone flew above the seating bowl at M&T Bank Stadium prompting a stoppage of play and that law enforcement is investigating,” the MSA said.
The most recent home Ravens playoff game — the AFC championship against the Kansas City Chiefs last January — was also paused when a Pennsylvania man flew a drone over the stadium leading to an “administrative timeout.” The man, Matthew Hebert, pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor, paid a $500 fine and received one year of probation.
Because of that incident, the FBI issued a warning during the past week for fans to leave their drones at home. The FBI placed a Temporary Flight Restriction and deemed Baltimore’s football stadium a “No Drone Zone.” Federal law restricts unmanned aircraft systems, such as drones, from flying at or below a 3-mile radius of any stadium with a seating capacity of 30,000 or more people.
The MSA invoked an increase in police presence and security personnel. That decision came in the aftermath of a terrorist attack in New Orleans earlier this month. But Saturday’s stoppage was not the first time unauthorized drone flights have disrupted Ravens game days.
There were eight temporary flight restriction violations and unauthorized drone flights during five of Baltimore’s regular-season games, but most of them occurred in the early portion of the season. Incidents occurred in a pair of preseason games, as well as home games on Sept. 15 and 29, Oct. 13 and Nov. 3. M&T Bank Stadium has not had a drone incident reported since the Ravens’ “Thursday Night Football” win against the Bengals on Nov. 7.
M&T Bank Stadium also dealt with drone issues last year, including in the AFC championship game and during a November meeting between the Ravens and Cincinnati. In some instances, including the pilot who violated the regulation during the 2023 Bengals-Ravens game, drone pilots are unaware of the restrictions and unknowingly violate the policy. Their lack of knowledge hasn’t prevented minor delays to Ravens’ games, as officials seek to maintain a safe stadium.
The delay Saturday night did not slow down the Ravens, who advanced to the divisional round. If the Denver Broncos upset the Bills on Sunday, Baltimore would host the Houston Texans next weekend, though it would travel to Buffalo if the Bills win.
This article will be updated. Have a news tip? Contact Sam Cohn at scohn@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/samdcohn.