LOS ANGELES — Due to the ongoing wildfires affecting the Los Angeles area, the NFL has decided to relocate the Rams’ wild-card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings to Arizona. The match is scheduled to take place on Monday night at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals, located in suburban Glendale.
The league’s decision, announced on Thursday, followed the outbreak of yet another fire several miles away from the Rams’ training facility in Woodland Hills. Consequently, the Rams cancelled post-practice media availability to ensure players could return home safely amidst the emergency situation. The NFL stated that the decision was taken “in the interest of public safety.”
The Los Angeles region has faced a barrage of wildfires throughout the week, spurred by two days of extreme winds across the metropolitan area. The latest fire prompted evacuation orders in West Hills, a neighborhood directly northwest of the Rams’ complex, quickly growing in scale and consuming over a square mile shortly after it ignited.
More than 10,000 structures have been affected by the largest blazes, including the Palisades Fire in Pacific Palisades and the Eaton Fire near Pasadena. Although the fires were not actively threatening SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, which is southwest of downtown Los Angeles, the league opted to shift the game due to concerns over air quality, the burden on local communities, and the potential demands on emergency personnel.
Both the Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers, the latter of whom will face Houston in a wild-card game on Saturday, have been practicing outdoors but with caution regarding air quality. Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh notably reduced his team’s outdoor practice time by half. The Rams confirmed on Thursday that they will head to Phoenix on Friday following their practice in Woodland Hills, and will hold a practice session on Saturday at the Cardinals’ facility in Tempe.
The National Weather Service issued a warning that the Los Angeles area will remain at high fire risk through Friday. Just prior to the new outbreak of fire, Rams coach Sean McVay expressed optimism about playing the game at SoFi Stadium but acknowledged the unpredictable nature of the situation. “We would like to be able to play the game at home in front of our fans,” he remarked, while also recognizing the necessity of adapting to developments.
Historically, game relocations in the NFL are an unusual occurrence but not without precedent. For instance, in 2003, a Monday night regular season game between the Chargers and Dolphins was shifted from San Diego to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe to circumvent wildfires in Southern California. Similarly, in 2018, a Monday night game featuring the Rams was moved from Mexico City to Los Angeles due to playing surface concerns at Azteca Stadium, an experience McVay cited as preparation for the current uncertainty.
McVay emphasized the importance of balance in this situation, saying, “You acknowledge these things, but you also want to make sure that how you can control making sure that you’re doing the right things is preparing accordingly, while also being mindful that this is bigger than football.” He noted that although some team staff had faced challenges, none of the players or coaches had experienced direct losses from the fires.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford shared that he had been dealing with a power outage at home for several days but noted that they were fortunate amidst the circumstances. “It’s tough to watch on the news and be around,” he said. “Seeing everything going on is really sad, but a lot of people are doing everything they can to manage the situation and help everyone return to normal as soon as possible.”
