Saints-Packers Week 1 Game Moved to Jacksonville

The Saints will open their season against the Packers in Jacksonville at TIAA Bank Field, the teams announced Wednesday.

The game was moved in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida, which made landfall over the weekend and has left the city of New Orleans largely without power.

"I am proud of the collective communications that occurred between many entities in a short amount of time that led to us making this decision," owner Gayle Benson said in a statement. "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. Collectively, we have a monumental task ahead of us in cleaning up the aftereffects left by Hurricane Ida, but it has been inspiring to see people getting right to work and starting the process."

The Saints left the city before the storm hit New Orleans and have been practicing in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Coach Sean Payton said Tuesday that the team would be leaning toward remaining in the area for the next month. 

The Saints will travel to Jacksonville the day before the game, per the team's official release.

The Jaguars will play on the road at the Texans in Week 1, creating no other scheduling conflicts. Kickoff for Saints-Packers will remain at 4:25 p.m. ET.

Reports of the move were first reported by Amie Just and Jeff Duncan of New Orleans's Times Picayune.

For the first time since 2005, New Orleans will also open the season with a new starting quarterback. In the wake of Drew Brees's retirement this offseason, Saints quarterback Jameis Winston won the team's open competition for the starting job over Taysom Hill and will start Week 1.