Will New Orleans Play the Game Again

When Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast region in 2005, information technology forced the New Orleans Saints to play all their games on the road that flavor.

The 2005 Saints played a ''dwelling'' game in New York against the Giants, 3 games in San Antonio, TX, and four games in Billy Rouge, LA.

Hurricane Ida was an eerily similar tempest that ravaged many of the same areas last weekend. The Category four storm did not damage the Superdome, as Katrina heavily did in 2005. Nor did the stadium need to be used every bit a shelter, every bit it tragically did in the aftermath of Katrina.

Ida's fury did force the Saints to evacuate the city and motility squad operations to Dallas, TX.  Before this week, the squad announced that it will remain in Texas through at least September because of the damage and power outages caused by the hurricane.

New Orleans will comport practices on the campus of TCU. However, scheduling conflicts considering of a September 15 concert in AT&T Stadium will non permit the Saints to play their Sept. 12 regular-season opener confronting Greenish Bay in Dallas.

Instead, the Saints-Packers clash for Sept. 12 has been moved to Jacksonville, FL.

Fortunately, in this case, the Saints were only scheduled to play 2 home games over the outset seven weeks of the flavor and none in September after the opener. New Orleans will be at Carolina on September 19 and at New England on September 26.

By the cease of September, the Saints are planning to be back in their facilities. More importantly, that will mean that the thousands of residents in the expanse accept had power restored and tin can hopefully resume life with a sense of normalcy.

If disaster cleanup extends into October, the Saints will face further scheduling challenges. Perhaps too meaning that they could ''host'' another game in Jacksonville.

Their next home game is scheduled for Lord's day, Oct. 3, against the New York Giants.. They'll be back on the route the post-obit calendar week for an October. 10 meeting confronting Washington.

Afterwards a bye week, the Saints are over again on the road for a Monday night disharmonism at Seattle on October. 25. That will exist followed past two scheduled home games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 31 and Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 7.

It would be a worst-case scenario, on many levels, if Gulf Coast cleanup extends for an additional month and keeps the Saints out of the facility. However, let's examine some of the other venues that could be bachelor if New Orleans needs to play more games in another location.

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs against the New York Giants. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Usa TODAY Sports

Sun, OCTOBER three - GIANTS

• Carolina at Dallas
• Jacksonville - Cheerio
• Tampa Bay at New England
• Houston at Buffalo
• Atlanta vs. Washington

Unless the engagement of their game confronting the Giants were changed, the AT&T Stadium in Dallas is once again unavailable if New Orleans were not back in their facilities by October. Even if the game were inverse to Saturday or Monday, that would still create big challenges for the facility.

The near logical solution might be to render to Jacksonville, where the Saints had already played i game.

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Tampa, FL is another possibility, with the Buccaneers playing on the road that weekend. It's a reasonably close venue that the Saints are familiar with, because they play their once a year as division rivals.

Another choice could be Houston, the closest possibility at 348 driving miles from New Orleans. The Texans will also play on the road that weekend.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) throws the ball as Tampa Bay defensive cease William Gholston (92) rushes. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31 - BUCCANEERS

• Dallas at Minnesota
• Jacksonville at Seattle
• Houston vs. L.A. Rams
• Atlanta vs. Carolina

The most logical solution here would be to simply flip the habitation-away games between these NFC South rivals.

New Orleans is scheduled to play at Tampa Bay in a Prime Fourth dimension matchup on Sunday, December 19.

If logic fails, and then the Dallas facilities would finally be available, with the Cowboys on the road. Jacksonville would also over again be available.

Dallas seems to make the most sense if the league doesn't switch the habitation/away dates between the teams. The Saints have been practicing in Dallas since displaced by Ida final weekend.

New Orleans Saints safe Marcus Williams (43) intercepts a pass intended for Atlanta receiver Calvin Ridley (18). Mandatory Credit: Chuck Melt-USA TODAY Sports

SUNDAY, Nov seven - FALCONS

• Dallas vs. Denver
• Jacksonville vs. Buffalo
• Tampa Bay - Bye
• Houston at Miami

As with the Buccaneers, the solution that makes by far the most sense is to switch the home and away dates betwixt the division foes. The Saints are scheduled to travel to Atlanta for the regular flavor finale on January 9, 2022.

The Cowboys facilities will over again be unavailable, unless the game were moved to Sabbatum or Monday.

For the offset fourth dimension during this potential stretch, Jacksonville's stadium will too not be available on the scheduled date of the game.

Again, if simple logic fails, both Houston and Tampa volition be available to host. Atlanta and New Orleans are equally familiar with the Buccaneers facilities, fifty-fifty if equally visiting partitioning rivals.

Hurricane Katrina was an unimaginable tragedy that afflicted countless lives. Among the less important effects on the grand calibration was causing the New Orleans Saints to spend the entire 2005 season on the road.

The Saints were much better organized in dealing with Hurricane Ida in 2021, an equally devastating storm.

New Orleans is planning on returning home within the next calendar month, but may accept to make some contingency plans if cleanup of the region takes a bit longer than expected.

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Source: https://www.si.com/nfl/saints/editorial-opinion/saints-scheduling-scenarios-2021

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