The New Orleans Saints announced on Wednesday that they will open their season against the Green Bay Packers in Jacksonville at TIAA Bank Field. The game is being moved in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, which made landfall over the weekend and left the city of New Orleans largely without power.
Saints owner Gayle Benson said in a statement: “I am proud of the collective communications that occurred between many entities in a short amount of time that led to us making this decision. It is never easy to make a decision that involves not playing a Saints home game in the Caesars Superdome, but I am confident that this is the right decision for our city at this juncture. Collectively, we have a monumental task ahead of us in cleaning up the aftereffects left by Hurricane Ida, but it has been inspiring to see people getting right to work and starting the process.”
The Saints left the New Orleans before the storm hit, and have been practicing in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Coach Sean Payton said Tuesday that the team would most likely be remaining in the area for the next month.
Kickoff for Saints-Packers will remain at 4:25 p.m. ET.
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