Cardinals vs. Saints Preseason NFL Game Canceled Because of Hurricane Ida

After initially moving up the start time of the game, the New Orleans Saints have decided to cancel Saturday's preseason tilt against the Arizona Cardinals because of Hurricane Ida. 

The Saints issued a statement Friday announcing their decision:

"Due to the intensification of the hurricane throughout the day and after the most recent tropical update, the team's leadership has made the decision in the best interests of all personnel that may have been directly and indirectly affected by the storm. This announcement comes after constant communications with City of New Orleans officials, the National Weather Service, Homeland Security, Governor Edwards and leading state officials and the National Football League."

The game was originally scheduled to be played at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Saints announced earlier in the day that kickoff was moved up to 1 p.m. at the Caesars Superdome. 

Per Alex Sosnowski of AccuWeather.com, Hurricane Ida made landfall in Cuba on Friday afternoon and is "barreling into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico."

Sosnowski noted Ida is projected "likely to rapidly intensify and could even approach the U.S. coast as Category 4 hurricane."

The National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane warning for parts of Louisiana along the Gulf Coast: "Hurricane-force winds are expected Sunday in portions of the Hurricane Warning area along the Louisiana coast, including metropolitan New Orleans, with potentially catastrophic wind damage possible where the core of Ida moves onshore." 

Saturday would have been the final game of the preseason schedule for the Saints and Cardinals. 

New Orleans is scheduled to open the regular season at home Sept. 12 against the Green Bay Packers.