The New Orleans Saints will help headline the second week of the 2020 NFL season when visit the Las Vegas Raiders for a Monday Night Football kickoff, but there won’t be a live audience crowding the stands at Allegiant Stadium.
On Monday, the Raiders announced to season-ticket holders that fans will not be allowed to attend home games during the 2020 season — including their Week 2 home opener against the Saints.
It’s a big blow, and the first of its kind to hit the NFL. Most teams have already begun planning to host limited crowds at their home venues, while some have experimented with cardboard cutouts of fans and tarped-off seating. The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has struck professional sports hard, and neither the Saints nor the Raiders are immune to it.
For now, the Saints plan to cordon off the first eight rows of seating at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome during home games, allowing them to keep a safe distance between fans and players, but ultimately they will abide by what state and local governments decide are best during this public health crisis. And that might mean forcing the Who Dat Nation to watch games from home.
