(WWL) Ahead of the Saints' matchup against the Bears in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Sunday afternoon in the wild-card round, New Orleans coach Sean Payton pitched an interesting idea to create home-field advantage for his team.
“I brought up the idea of testing 50,000 people and quarantining them in a hotel and having like the most safest Superdome known to man, scientifically,” Payton said Wednesday with a slight laugh. “Bus them, they’ve tested every day and you’ve got a COVID-free facility. I think that’s possible. I don’t know if it’s taken off or not.”
The Superdome has hosted only a limited number of fans for Saints home games this season due to the COVID-19 positivity rate and guidelines in Louisiana.
With fans barred from attending games or only doing so in a limited capacity across the NFL amid the pandemic, home-field advantage became moot. Road teams went 128-127-1 in the 2020 regular season, the Associated Press reported, the first winning mark for visitors in a single season since the AFL and NFL merged in 1970.
Payton said that while he believes his plan could work, he and the Saints are more focused on what they can control when the host the Bears.
“It’s the team creating its excitement and generating its excitement, and I think you’ve got to be ready ready,” he said.