Mark Murphy expecting minimal fans at Lambeau Field in 2020

Packers President Mark Murphy is offering a fairly grim outlook as far as attendance at Packers games this fall.

Should the NFL season take place, Murphy told Packers reporters on a Zoom call this afternoon that Lambeau Field’s capacity would likely be capped in the 10,000 to 12,000 fan range.

Murphy was careful (and right) to note that this is merely an initial estimate. It’s certainly possible that with adequate testing, social distancing measures, or even a vaccine, attendance could be much higher. But even so, the NFL has already committed to tarping off the first six to eight rows at every stadium. That move was made in an attempt to keep fan and player interaction (and contamination) to a minimum, while also capping overall attendance.

Murphy’s projection is considerably more conservative than that, and while it could prove to be more cautious than necessary, it’s as good an indication as any of sort of scenario we’re likely to see this fall.