Wildfires Force NFL To Move Vikings-Rams Playoff Game Out Of Southern California
The NFL has just done the right thing in moving Monday Night's playoff game between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams out of Southern California's SoFi Stadium as a result of the wildfires that have ravaged the region.
The league made the announcement Thursday evening:
NFL Says Public Safety Reason To Move
"In the interest of public safety, Monday’s Vikings-Rams Wild Card game has been moved from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA to State Farm Stadium, the home of the Arizona Cardinals," the league said in a statement.
The NFL said the decision was made in consultation with public officials, the participating clubs and the NFL Players Association.
The game will be televised on ESPN, ABC, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes at its scheduled 8 p.m. ET time.
Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. PT Friday morning through Seatgeek.com for Rams Season Ticket Members and Noon PT to the general public.
Raging wildfires in the Los Angeles area, fueled by strong winds, have taken at least five lives, per national reports.
LOS ANGELES - Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a building on Sunset Boulevard amid a powerful windstorm on January 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Fueled by intense Santa Ana Winds, the Palisades Fire has grown to over 15,000 acres and 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate while a second major fire continues to burn near Eaton Canyon in Altadena. (Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
McVay Says No Rams People Injured
Thousands of residents have evacuated and thousands more are under mandatory evacuation orders as the multiple fires close in on residential areas uncontrolled.
SoFi Stadium in Inglewood is about 15 miles southeast of the biggest fire in Pacific Palisades.
"It's one of those deals that almost doesn't feel real but it certainly is real to the people that are affected," Rams coach Sean McVay said Thursday. "Praying that people are OK. And just seeing the amount of people that are affected, it's one of those deals that just gives you perspective.
"And so, hopefully, we get this stuff under control. It's been a unique week. Fortunately for us, there's been some people who have been affected in regards to power outages, recommended evacuations, a couple of our staff members did have their homes affected, but fortunately, to my knowledge, nobody has been injured and for that we're grateful."