The Saints vs. Packers Week 1 matchup is to be played in Jacksonville at TIAA Bank Field

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The New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers open their normal 2021 season at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, the NFL announced Wednesday. Amie Just and Jeff Duncan from NOLA.com were the first to report the change of location. This game remains in the same period on September 12 with kickoff taking place at. 4:25 ET. The Saints also announced Wednesday night that pre-sale tickets for their match against Green Bay in Jacksonville go on sale Thursday.

Originally, this game was to be held in the Saints' Caesars Superdome, but the aftermath of Hurricane Ida has forced the league to move the game out of New Orleans and could possibly keep the team out of New Orleans for a month, while Louisiana continues to recover from the storm. The Superdome sustained no structural damage during Hurricane Ida, according to NOLA.com, but the city of New Orleans remains without power, making it virtually impossible to host an NFL game under the circumstances.

TIAA Bank Field - home of the Jacksonville Jaguars - was the closest stadium to New Orleans available. Other nearby places like Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and NRG Stadium in Houston have NFL games that day. Meanwhile, Dallas' AT&T Stadium was not available that day due to a previously scheduled concert.

As for the Jaguars, they will be in Houston to face the Texans that Sunday, and TIAA Bank Field had no other conflicting concerts or events that opened the window for the Saints and Packers to start the season on time.

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