Saints announce no fans for opener; Raiders say empty stadium for entire 2020 season

NEW ORLEANS, La. (WVUE) - The New Orleans Saints announced there will be no fans in the stands for their opener against the Bucs on Sept. 13. At a later date, the team will decide if the Who-Dats can attend the Packers game on Sept. 27.

If fans will be in the Dome anytime this season, they’ll need to wear face coverings. The NFL announced that will be a league-wide rule.

The Raiders announced to season ticket holders on Monday, Aug. 3, they will play their inaugural season in Las Vegas without fans in attendance. The Raiders play host to the Saints in week 2 on Monday Night Football.

So what’s the plan for the other 30 NFL teams and their fans. Here’s a breakdown of where they all stand.

AFC EAST

Patriots: Pending state and local approval, should Gillette Stadium be allowed to have fans in the stands this season, it is expected to host about 20 percent of its total capacity.

Dolphins: Fans will be allowed at Hard Rock Stadium this season. Capacity will be 13,000 people, which is 20%.

Jets: There will be no fans in the stands for New York Jets home games at MetLife Stadium until further notice to comply with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive order limiting outdoor gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bills: Buffalo Bills will not have any fans for at least the first two home games of this season.

AFC NORTH

Ravens: The team plans to allow fewer than 14,000 fans to attend any given home game at M&T Bank Stadium in 2020 — if fans are allowed to attend the games in-person at all.

Steelers: At this time, the team remains optimistic about playing home games as scheduled in front of fans with the understanding that they will follow the NFL and government regulations to maintain the safety of fans, players and staff.

Bengals: Bengals will not have fans attend their season opener on Sunday, Sept. 13 against the L.A. Chargers at Paul Brown Stadium.

Browns: The team is hoping to have fans at games this year, but still don’t know what that will look like. Browns feel like they still have at least a month or so to figure it out.

AFC SOUTH

Titans: The exact number, or percentage, will be determined at a later date.

Nissan Stadium seats approximately 69,143 fans.

Texans: The NFL and the Texans are doing everything possible to kickoff the season Sept. 10. In doing so, it means there will be sacrifices and cuts made to ensure safety while watching live football.

Jaguars: TIAA Bank Field will be able to seat approximately 25 percent of its capacity at each Jaguars home game in 2020. Once the season begins, any future increase in capacity will depend on developments on the health and safety front.

Colts: Reduced stadium capacity that complies with CDC guidelines for social distancing.

AFC WEST

Chiefs: The Chiefs have announced that games at Arrowhead during the 2020-21 season will have limited-capacity seating as the threat of COVID-19 remains. Season ticket members will be allowed into the stadium to watch the games, according to a team statement on July 8, with access to all the games. As the seating is reconfigured, members will have the opportunity to opt in or receive a refund.

Raiders: The Raiders announced on Aug. 3 will be no fans in the stands the entire 2020 season.

Broncos: The Broncos will play at least their opener without fans in the stands. The team announced that the Sept. 14 opener against the Titans would be played in an empty Empower Field because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chargers: Chargers announced that there will be no fans at home games for the foreseeable future.

NFC EAST

Giants: There will be no fans in the stands for New York Giants home games at MetLife Stadium until further notice to comply with New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s executive order limiting outdoor gatherings due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cowboys: The team announced it’s Safe Stadium Policy, which will include a limited stadium capacity with tickets distributed in seat blocks “known as ‘pods’ to maintain distance between groups who are not known to one another.” Fans will be required to “maintain pod integrity by only transferring tickets to family or friends within their trusted group,” per the team’s release, which is part of the limited capacity planned in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, state of Texas, and local public safety and public health authorities.

Eagles: Under Philadelphia’s current safety guidelines, outdoor events involving more than 50 people are prohibited. However, according to a release, “this is a fluid situation, and this policy is under constant review.” Additionally, the statement said the Eagles and city officials are having ongoing discussions about the situation and will continue working together.

Washington: The team is still looking at different options when it comes to 2020 ticketing and how many fans they’ll have in attendance at their home games

NFC NORTH

Packers: The team announced on Aug. 6 there will be no fans in the stands for at least the first two Packers home games.

Vikings: Team says their first two games of the season (Week 1 vs. Packers & Week 3 vs. Titans) will be closed to fans. Team says it will continue to work with local officials in hopes of bringing in fans later this season.

Lions: The Lions have announced that there won’t be any fans at Ford Field until November at the earliest.

Bears: President and CEO Ted Phillips said the organization is planning to have fans in the stadium, though that’s not a certainty and he didn’t give specifics about reducing capacity to adhere to social-distancing guidelines.

NFC SOUTH

Falcons: The Falcons won’t have any fans in the stands for at least their first two home games. The team announced Monday that both the Falcons and Atlanta United of Major League Soccer would play without fans in attendance through the end of September, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bucs: The Bucs are hoping for 25% capacity at Raymond James for all games, which includes filled luxury suits. First 8 rows from the field will be left empty. That’s the lead plan, buy are considering multiple options given state of flux with Covid-19.

Panthers: A team spokesman said that there is currently no update on the number of fans that will be allowed.

NFC WEST

Rams: Los Angeles Rams announced that there will be no fans at home games for the foreseeable future.

Cardinals: The Arizona Cardinals said it’s working on plans to deal with the likelihood that State Farm Stadium won’t be full of fans for all their games in the 2020-21 season. In a statement to season ticket holders, the organization said it’s a “very low” probability that the stadium will be at capacity. “We are developing contingency plans for the different scenarios and potential stadium seating configurations,” the team said.

Niners: San Francisco will begin the season on September 13th against the Arizona Cardinals without fans in attendance.

Seahawks: Social distancing requirements could mandate that large-scale events, including Seahawks home games, not contain a certain number of people in the same facility. So behind the scenes Seattle is weighing several options.