[jwplayer 24FxnrUr-ThvAeFxT]
The Detroit Lions became the latest NFL team to announce that fans will not be allowed at their early-season home games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, making the decision to play at an empty Ford Field in games against the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints.
This means that the Saints will kick off in quiet venues for three of their first four games: their Sept. 13 season opener with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a Sept. 21 highlight on Monday Night Football with the Las Vegas Raiders, and this Oct. 4 road game at Detroit. Sandwiched in-between is a Saints home game in Week 3 on Sunday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers.
While the Saints already made the decision to play their first home game without fans, they’re holding out hope that they will be allowed to host limited attendance on Sept. 27. It depends on whether New Orleans and the state of Louisiana are able to move into Phase 3 of their COVID-19 reopening plan, but a recent surge in positive test cases might prevent that.
It’s such a shame that live audiences won’t be able to see the start of what may be a historic Saints season. There’s a real possibility that 2020 will be the end of the road for Drew Brees, who seriously considered retirement during the offseason and already has a broadcasting gig with NBC Sports waiting on him.
The Saints were set to help open up two of the NFL’s newest arenas with a Week 1 preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium and their regular season matchup at the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium, but now only one of those games will have been played at all, and without the packed crowd the NFL expected. Hopefully the COVID-19 public health crisis will be better managed as the year continues, allowing at least some Saints fans to see their team play games in person.
[vertical-gallery id=37021]