Saints Reportedly Considering Games At Major College Stadium

The New Orleans Saints are 3-2 on the year after last night’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers. The team definitely doesn’t have the same air of invincibility around them at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome this year, though, especially without fans in the stands.

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Taysom Hill warming up for the New Orleans Saints.

Obviously there is more to it than that. Drew Brees is an aging quarterback, and there’ve been games where he hasn’t been quite as willing to take shots downfield as he used to, though he hit some big ones last night in the overtime win. The team has also been without star wide receiver Michael Thomas, first due to injury and last night, because of a team suspension.

Despite rising levels of COVID-19 around the country, and the fact that some teams like the Tennessee Titans have been thrown into a bit of turmoil due to the virus, a number of franchises across the league have opened up the stands for fans on a limited basis. New Orleans mayor Latoya Cantrell is not allowing for the Saints to do the same, which is pretty understandable with how hard the city was hit earlier in the pandemic. The Saints are also one of the few franchises to play games indoors, which can exacerbate the spread of COVID-19, compared to outdoor events.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the team has reached out to LSU about a potential change in venue for some home games. It is so bothered by the city’s decision, that it may try and host games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge with some fans in the stands, rather than play without them at the Superdome.

With New Orleans shut down and its Mayor Latoya Cantrell repeatedly declining to allow the Saints to have limited-capacity fans, team officials are meeting today with LSU officials about hosting upcoming games at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La, per Saints’ official Greg Bensel.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 13, 2020

LSU football is operating at 25-percent capacity to start the 2020 season, so that is a decent idea of what the Saints could expect if they do play in Baton Rouge. Of course, it is unclear how fans will feel about attending games outside of New Orleans, but there’s a fair bet that they’d sell whatever tickets are made available.

Of course, whether this is a good idea at all is up for debate, especially as COVID-19 rates have spiked in college communities. The NFL might not be thrilled by the idea of having players and their families head there, even if just got gamedays. Both East Baton Rouge and Orleans Parishes are experiencing slow growth in the virus, per data from the City of Baton Rouge.

The New Orleans Saints are off this weekend. They host the Carolina Panthers for their next home game, on Oct. 25.

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