Saints Planning to Return to New Orleans Ahead Of Week 4, Sean Payton Says

After the New Orleans Saints played its Week 1 home game in Jacksonville because of Hurricane Ida, head coach Sean Payton said Friday the team is expecting to return to the Superdome for their next home game in Week 4, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. 

The Saints have two road games coming up: Sunday against the Carolina Panthers and September 26 against the New England Patriots. They return home to face the New York Giants on October 3, which should take place in New Orleans if everything goes to plan.

In the meantime, the team will continue to train at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas.

The Saints initially decided to move its Week 1 home game against the Green Bay Packers early in September because of the damage to New Orleans' infrastructure during Hurricane Ida.  

"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."

According to Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com, the team determined Jacksonville was a difficult travel destination for Green Bay fans, preserving a measure of home-field advantage. The strategy apparently paid off with a shocking 38-3 win for the Saints.

The Saints will still enjoy a return home, where it has been one of the most successful teams in the NFL in recent seasons.

Over the past four years, the squad has a 25-7 record at the Superdome during the regular season with at least six wins each season.