It’s looking more and more likely that the Vikings will be hosting the Packers in the Sept. 13 season opener without fans inside U.S. Bank Stadium.
“It looks like we won’t have any fans [in the stadium] early, which really stinks,” head coach Mike Zimmer said Friday, according to Zone Coverage’s Sam Ekstrom.
Asked about the attendance status amid the COVID-19 pandemic, a Vikings spokesperson told Bring Me The News that the team will provide an “update early next week regarding fans at U.S. Bank Stadium.”
Zimmer’s hint comes less than 24 hours after division rival Detroit and the Denver Broncos announced that their home games, respectively, will not have fans to begin the season.
In July, the Vikings sent letters to season ticket holders saying a number of attendance scenarios were being discussed. The message from July said:
“We can acknowledge at this time that if we are allowed to play in front of fans, games will be at a significantly reduced capacity and include a different in-stadium experience. We are planning around a number of those scenarios now and will provide an update as soon as possible.”
Minnesota players two home games in September and one in October, with the final five games in Minneapolis scheduled for November and December. Home games:
- Sept. 13: Packers
- Sept. 27: Titans
- Oct. 18: Falcons
- Nov. 8: Lions
- Nov. 22: Cowboys
- Nov. 29: Panthers
- Dec. 6: Jaguars
- Dec. 20: Bears
