The New Orleans Saints will reportedly host the Green Bay Packers at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida during their Week 1 matchup amid the devastation of Hurricane Ida in New Orleans, multiple sources confirmed to NOLA.com.
The game will remain in the 3:25 p.m. CT late afternoon time slot and air live onFOX on September 12, according to the NFL.
“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," Saints owner Gayle Benson said in a statement obtained by NOLA.com. "Collectively, we have a monumental task ahead of us in cleaning up the after-effects left by Hurricane Ida, but it has been inspiring to see people getting right to work and starting the process."
Saints season ticket holders will receive information on all available ticket options, the franchise confirmed in an official statement obtained byNOLA.com.
TIAA Bank Field was available as a temporary host stadium for the Saints' scheduled home matchup as the Jaguars are set to face the Houston Texans on the road during Week 1.
Jacksonville is also an option for the Saints' second scheduled home matchup against the New York Giants during Week 4 (October 3) if the team is still displaced.
The Saints are already scheduled to face the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots on the road during their respective Week 2 and 3 matchups.
Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz and Stadium and Houston's NRG Stadium -- which are the two closest NFL venues to New Orleans -- were both scheduled to host home matchups in Week 1 while AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas is set to host a concert later in the week that will need the building for set up over the weekend of Sept. 12.
The Saints are currently practicing at AT&T Stadium after evacuating ahead of Hurricane Ida last week.
The Caesars Superdome didn't suffer any structural damage, but widespread power outages are still reported throughout the city of New Orleans and the city's Sewerage and Water Board urged residents to reduce their water consumption, NOLA.com reports.
Hurricane Ida initially made landfall near Port Fourchon Sunday (August 29) afternoon as a Category 4 hurricane before being downgraded to a tropical storm early Monday morning (August 30) and later a tropical depression on Monday afternoon as it moved through the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
The National Hurricane Center confirmed Ida reached wind speeds of 150 MPH, tying Hurricane Katrina on the 16th anniversary of the devastating storm, as well as Laura (2020) and the Last Island Hurricane (1856) as the most powerful storms to ever hit the state.
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