In response to the wildfires raging in the Los Angeles area, Monday’s playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams will be moved to Arizona, the league announced in a statement Thursday night. Specifically, the game will be held in Glendale at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals.
“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’s statement read. “The decision was made in consultation with public officials, participating clubs and the NFLPA.”
The announcement adds that the game will be played at the previously scheduled time of 8 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN and ABC. Meanwhile, tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. local time (1 p.m. ET) on Friday morning via SeatGeek.com for Rams season ticket holders and will be released to the general public at noon local time (3 pm ET).
Monday’s playoff game was scheduled to take place at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, but the fires that have engulfed Los Angeles County and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes now have the NFL pivoting to a safer place.
This is a pivot what the Rams noticed earlier Thursdaysaying in a statement that the game was scheduled to be played at SoFi Stadium. In what he called a “unique week,” Rams coach Sean McVay said the team was moving into “every expectation” that the game would play out as originally scheduled.
While the NFL has moved games in the past due to extreme weather, this is unprecedented for the playoffs. According to CBS Research, this will be the first non-Super Bowl postseason game played at a neutral site in the Super Bowl era.
