Saints cancel preseason finale vs. Cardinals due to Hurricane Ida
The New Orleans Saints canceled their preseason finale versus the Arizona Cardinals due to the impending impact of Hurricane Ida, the club announced Friday.
The contest was slated for Saturday night. The Saints moved up the kickoff time seven hours in hopes of avoiding the storm before nixing the game altogether.
The Saints are evacuating to Dallas in anticipation of the hurricane, sources told Amie Just and Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com.
National Weather Service New Orleans said Friday it's forecasting Ida to make landfall as a Category 4 hurricane that will significantly affect Southern Louisiana and Southern Mississippi.
4PM CT Ida Update - The time to act is NOW. Hurricane Ida is now forecast to make landfall as a category 4 hurricane. This will bring SIGNIFICANT impacts to Southern Louisiana and Southern Mississippi. No major changes to the track at this time, moved just a touch to the east. pic.twitter.com/MRIiBaHTFt
— NWS New Orleans (@NWSNewOrleans) August 27, 2021
New Orleans will now turn its attention to the Green Bay Packers, the team's Week 1 opponent. Earlier Friday, the Saints reportedly tabbed Jameis Winston as their opening-day starting quarterback.
The Cardinals will open the regular season against the Tennessee Titans. They weren't planning to use quarterback Kyler Murray in the preseason finale.