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After decades of claiming to sell out every game easily, and even claiming a season-ticket waiting list with more than 100,000 people on it, Washington has now admitted that it cant fill FedEx Field.

The team’s announced attendance for Sunday’s home opener was 57,013, which means there were upwards of 20,000 empty seats — and that’s after removing some seats from FedEx Field. Last year Washington’s announced attendance for the home opener was 78,658. In 2007, more than 90,000 fans attended a game against the Cowboys.

The fans who attended didn’t like what they saw in an ugly loss to the Colts. Adrian Peterson, the veteran running back who managed just 20 yards on 11 carries, said that during his 12-year career he hasn’t heard the kind of booing of the home team that he heard on Sunday.

“It was a new one for me,” Peterson said. “It was different.”

That is sure to continue until the team starts playing better. Or until the stadium gets so empty that no one can hear the boos.