L.A. fires could force Rams' homefield advantage to NFC West rivals stadium
The NFL has announced that it has a contingency plan in place if it has to move Monday night's Wild Card playoff matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings due to the Pacific Palisades wildfires. In the event that the league feels a change of location is needed, the game will be played […]
The NFL has announced that it has a contingency plan in place if it has to move Monday night's Wild Card playoff matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings due to the Pacific Palisades wildfires.
In the event that the league feels a change of location is needed, the game will be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona – home of the Cardinals. As of this writing, the Wild Card matchup is still scheduled to be played at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles.
It's unfortunate that the Rams may have to travel for what's supposed to be a home playoff game, but safety is rightfully the top priority for the NFL in this situation. The Cardinals' stadium is a little over seven hours away from SoFi, so it won't be too much travel. For the Vikings, it would add about three more hours of travel time from Minneapolis, Minnesota.
NFL Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the Cardinals have played host to other teams for similar situations in the past. In 2003 the Miami Dolphins and Chargers played in Arizona due to wildfires in the San Diego area, and in 2020 the 49ers played three of their home games at State Farm Stadium due to COVID restrictions in San Francisco.
One positive of this situation is that the game is still five days away. Hopefully enough progress can be made between now and then, not only for the sake of the game but for the safety of California residents. We will continue updating this developing story as more information comes out.
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