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Related: Patriots will play their first two home games in front of empty stands
Last week, the New England Patriots gave an update on fan attendance for their home games this regular season in light of the Coronavirus pandemic. The team announced that no fans will be permitted to attend events at Gillette Stadium through September, meaning that its Week 1 game against the Miami Dolphins on September 13 and its Week 3 meeting with the Las Vegas Raiders on September 27 will take place in front of empty stands.
What comes in October and beyond has yet to be determined by the organization and the Massachusetts Reopening Advisory Board, but it seems likely that the capacity at the Patriots’ home stadium will remain greatly reduced in case fans are allowed back in. The team already presented plans last month that it would only allow around 20 percent of the usual 65,878 spectators in, pending approval by local and state authorities.
The Patriots are not the only club that was forced to make adjustments to their protocols, though, as a look at their list upcoming road opponents during the 2020 regular season shows.
Seattle Seahawks: Week 2, September 20
Status for Patriots game: No fans
The Seahawks have one of the best home field advantages in football, but they will have to survive without it through at least October: the team announced earlier this week that no fans will be allowed in at CenturyLink Field for its first three home games, a stretch that includes New England’s prime time visit in Week 2 of the regular season.
Kansas City Chiefs: Week 5, October 4
Status for Patriots game: Possible limited attendance
The Chiefs, who held an in-stadium practice on Saturday in front of 2,000 spectators as a regular season trial run, have announced that they would plan to limit attendance “for early-season games” to 22 percent of Arrowhead Stadium’s normal capacity. This means that around 16,000 fans will be allowed in, even though the club also noted that it would adjust depending on conditions later during the season.
Buffalo Bills: Week 8, November 1
Status for Patriots game: TBD
Buffalo has not yet announced any concrete plans for its regular season attendance at Bills Stadium, but New York State issued a guideline last month prohibiting fans from attending live sporting events. The team itself, meanwhile, gave season-ticket holder an option to suspend their seats for the 2020 season if limited capacity is allowed. So far, however, no official word has been spoken in regards to attendance — both in general and in regards to the November 1 game against the visiting Patriots.
New York Jets: Week 9, November 9
Status for Patriots game: Possible no fans
The Jets and their stadium co-owners, the New York Giants, released a statement in late July that fans will not be allowed to visit MetLife Stadium “until further notice.” A lot can change in these unprecedented times and between now and November 9, when the Patriots visit for a Monday night matchup, but at the moment and pending any official word to the contrary the game is scheduled to take place in front of empty stands.
Houston Texans: Week 11, November 22
Status for Patriots game: TBD
No fans will be in attendance for the Texans’ home opener in Week 2, but plans for any later games have not yet definitively been made. In this sense, the team is basically in the same boat as the Patriots: seats will remain empty through September, but any follow-up decisions will be made in due time. This also means that the status of the November 22 meeting with New England remains up in the air at the time being.
Los Angeles Chargers: Week 13, December 6
Status for Patriots game: TBD
The Patriots will visit the Los Angeles area in early December for a two-game stretch at the new SoFi Stadium. One of the facility’s two owners, the Chargers, have not yet announced any concrete plans for attendance levels in light of Covid-19. That being said, it seems likely that protocols will look similar to, if not the same as, the ones that were presented by the Los Angeles Rams late last month:
Los Angeles Rams: Week 14, December 10
Status for Patriots game: Limited attendance or no fans
Game number two at SoFi Stadium — a Thursday night matchup and re-match of Super Bowl 53 versus the Rams — will be played either in front of a limited number of spectators or no fans at all. The organization announced last month that a maximum of 15,000 fans will be allowed in this season, but the option remains that the number will be moved down to zero if the pandemic forces such a move. Either way, New England will face a lot of empty seats in the state-of-the-art arena that normally would host up to 70,000 people.
Miami Dolphins: Week 15, December 20
Status for Patriots game: TBD
The Patriots’ final road game of the season will take place on December 20 at the Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium — almost four months from today. Protocols and capacity numbers for the game have not yet been announced, but Miami mayor Carlos A. Gimenez said last week that he would announce concrete plans this upcoming week. Given that Florida is one of the states hit hardest by Covid-19, it would not be a surprise if limited capacity would be the decision — at least at the moment.
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