FANS IN THE STANDS
Here's what the gameday experience will look like this season for Texans fans
Sep 29, 2020, 9:29 am
FANS IN THE STANDS
The Houston Texans will have 13,300 real-life human fans in the stands - about 20-percent of NRG Stadium's usual capacity – when they tackle the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday.
The decision to allow a limited number of fans in the stadium was reached by city, county and state officials with input from the National Football League.
"The health and safety of our fans, our staff, our team and our community have been and will remain our priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic," Texans president Jamey Rootes said in a statement.
"We look forward to welcoming our home-field advantage back and resuming our cherished Texans game day traditions. We have been working tirelessly to make changes and implement protocols at NRG Stadium to ensure a safe environment."
Here are the nuts and bolts of the seven Texans home games remaining on the schedule:
Season ticket holders who did not defer for the 2020 season will have first crack at purchasing tickets. If any tickets are left over, they will go on sale at noon today (Tuesday) at Ticketmaster.com. No tickets will be sold at the NRG Stadium box office.
There will be no tailgating permitted in NRG Stadium parking lots during the 2020 season.
Fans will be instructed to stand at least six feet apart from the time they park their cars to when they take their seats inside the stadium. Fans must stand six feet apart, even when they visit concession stands and restrooms.
Important: all fans, 10 years and older, must wear a face mask at all times, except when they are eating or drinking. A full array of concession stands will be open, including Ronnie Killen's world-famous barbecue ribs and sandwiches. Chris Shepherd's Underbelly Hospitality will offer bacon sausage hot dogs with pimento cheese, tater tot casserole and wagyu nachos.
There will be 475 hand sanitizing stations throughout the stadium, and frequent mentions on the scoreboard to use them.
Concessions will be payable by credit or debit card only. All purchases will be handled by cashless transaction.
Alperen Sengun had 32 points and 14 rebounds, and the Houston Rockets held on to beat the Memphis Grizzlies 119-115 on Thursday night in a showdown between two of the top teams in the Western Conference.
Jalen Green finished with 27 points and Fred VanVleet scored 22 as the Rockets won their third straight and solidified their hold on second place in the Western Conference, moving 1 1/2 games ahead of Memphis.
Ja Morant scored 27 points in his return from a five-game absence with a shoulder injury, and Jaren Jackson Jr. added 21 points, eight rebounds and six blocks for Memphis. Desmond Bane had 16 points.
Houston dominated the inside early, scoring 20 points in the paint before the halfway point of the first quarter. Memphis initially couldn't stop anything at the rim. Houston opened a 17-point lead before taking a 68-63 advantage at the break.
Rockets: Houston is 12-5 on the road, including six straight wins away from home.
Grizzlies: After allowing the Rockets to score inside and build a big lead, Memphis chipped into the advantage to make it a more competitive game.
With 3.8 seconds left in the game and Houston leading 117-114, Bane fired up a 3-pointer that rattled in. But Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins called timeout before the shot was made. Bane was fouled on the ensuing inbounds, and Memphis wouldn't get another chance for a winning shot.
Houston is 19-3 when they score at least 110. Houston hasn't allowed more than 115 points in past 15 games.
The Rockets are at Atlanta on Saturday. Memphis travels to Minnesota to face the Timberwolves on Saturday.