NFL Needs to Cancel Saints-Chargers Preseason Game

With Hurricane Hilary barreling towards Southern California, the NFL has a decision to make on the preseason game between the Saints and Chargers.

Hurricane Hilary is expected to pound the southern California coast later this weekend and into Monday. As of Friday afternoon, Hilary was a Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 130 mph and located just south of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center.

This storm is expected to bring historic amounts of rainfall, flooding, and heavy wind damage in as many as three states. Southwestern California is under their first ever tropical storm warning, which extends just north of Los Angeles.

Hurricane Hilary is expected to make landfall near the Baja Peninsula on Sunday as a Category 3 or 4 storm. It's projected to be downgraded quickly to a tropical storm upon landfall. As anyone who's been in a hurricane before can attest, these situations can change quickly and drastically. 

The Los Angeles Chargers are scheduled to host the New Orleans Saints in a preseason contest at 7pm Eastern Time on Sunday. NFL officials and both teams are certainly monitoring the situation. Saints coach Dennis Allen said after Friday's practice that the NFL and So-Fi Stadium officials were going to discuss any possible contingency plans for the game.

Major League Baseball has already rescheduled any of their Sunday games. As of Saturday morning, there has been no announcement on a potential postponement or cancelation of the Saints-Chargers game.

The NFL needs to do the right thing and cancel this game. And do it early so the Saints can have time to leave the area and the Chargers can make necessary arrangements for their families. 

Hurricane Hilary on NOAA satellite Thursday afternoon. Hilary is expected to make landfall over or near the Baja California Peninsula on Sunday, then move over California as a tropical depression on Sunday night and Monday. NOAA/NESDIS/STAR GOES-West / USA TODAY NETWORK

New Orleans is certainly no stranger to hurricane situations, especially during the preseason. The conditions would be perilous enough if along the gulf coast. But again, it must be pointed out that this is new territory for this region. Emergency management is not as accustomed to handling a major hurricane as are the teams in Louisiana and surrounding regions. 

Competition of any kind should never be more important than lives and safety, obviously. However, it also must be pointed out that this is a preseason game. A win or loss does not matter a single bit to either franchise in determining their results for the 2023-24 season. 

Yes, preseason games are an important evaluating tool for coaches. They're also important to several players, especially those fighting for a roster spot. The Saints and Chargers engaged in two days of scrimmages against each other on Thursday and Friday. Those were great opportunities for the coaches and especially top units on each side for evaluation. 

Canceling this game creates a disadvantage for players on the ''roster bubble'' to be sure, as it gives them one less chance to impress coaches. Leaving Los Angeles before the storm hits would also allow the Saints to return to their regular practice schedule next week. A delay could cause them to be stranded in Los Angeles, which would also decrease opportunities for those roster hopefuls.

Again, none of this supercedes the importance of life and safety. The NFL needs to do the right thing and cancel this game for the safety of both teams, their families, and for the fans that have plans of attending the game.