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NEW ORLEANS, LA (WTAQ-WLUK) — Where will the Green Bay Packers open the 2021 season?
What was once an easy question has become anything but.
Hurricane Ida’s impact on the New Orleans area has raised questions around whether or not the September 12th season opener against the Saints on the road will be able to happen as planned.
Saints Coach Sean Payton says the team is practicing at Dallas’ AT&T Stadium.
“If our stadium is not ready to host the Packers in Week 1, where might that game be, and there’s a chance that game could very well be right here at AT&T Stadium,” Payton told Fox 11 News.
Jerry Jones, the Cowboys’ owner, also reportedly told a radio station he’s in talks with the NFL to host the Packers-Saints game.
“We’ve got enough fans in this area and Houston and certainly from the Louisiana, northern Louisiana that we think that would be something that’s very realistic,” said Payton.
Other media reports say the Cowboys’ stadium is off the table, because a Los Bukis concert is being held there three days later and the contract requires a certain amount of time for setup.
One thing Payton and others have said: The game will not be moved to Lambeau Field.
“It’s a big drag, but obviously they’ve got bigger issues to be worried about for Louisiana,” said Catherine Crabtree, a Packers fan living in Boulder, Colorado.
Crabtree is supposed to meet her two Appleton area friends in New Orleans for the game.
“It’s been really hard because we have hotels books in New Orleans and now Dallas and Green Bay and flights for me out of Denver to New Orleans and my friends from Milwaukee to New Orleans, so we’re going to have a lot of re-planning to do for this game,” said Crabtree.
“Honestly I’m just so excited for the game, but I don’t care if it’s in Zimbabwe, but I’d like to get it figured out as soon as possible,” said Crabtree.
United and Allegiant Airlines are providing direct flights to New Orleans for Packers fans out of Green Bay and Appleton. They both say they are keeping an eye on the game location and will re-evaluate the flights once a decision is made.
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