Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford acknowledged the importance of Monday night’s playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings amid a natural disaster at home.
The game between the Rams and Vikings was moved from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona due to wildfires affecting the Los Angeles area. The Rams practiced once at their facility before heading to Arizona to prepare for the game.
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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, #9, throws against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half of an NFL wild card playoff football game Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Rams fans still showed up at the stadium and supported their team as they won the game, 27-9.
“There was definitely every excuse in the book to come out here and be lazy and woe betide me and all that, but we knew we weren’t just playing for us,” he told reporters, via Pro Football Talk . “Playing for people back home who needed something to see and enjoy and I’m glad we could give them that.”
Stafford was among the players and coaches who supported the Los Angeles Fire Department before and during the game, wearing shirts that read “LAFD.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell spoke about the decision to move the game earlier Monday.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford answers a question during a press conference following an NFL football wild card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
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“What the people of Los Angeles are going through, the devastation, the loss, the heartbreak we all feel for them, we knew the game couldn’t be played there on Thursday,” he said on ESPN. “Public safety and compromising any of that was not something we do. And we wanted to make sure the focus of the first responders was taking care of the people who are struggling so much out there.
“When we made that decision, the league is coming together. We have preparations or what we call contingency plans that include two stadiums every week, and this was a perfect fit as far as the location for the Los Angeles Rams’ fans, and I” I’m proud of to say 45,000 of them made the trip over here, which is just extraordinary, everybody came together, and Michael Bidwell and the Cardinals are at the top of the list.
Before the game, the Rams were among 12 teams in the Los Angeles and Anaheim area to announce a combined $8 million donation to those affected by the wildfires.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, #9, throws before an NFL wild card playoff football game against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday, January 13, 2025, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
The money must go to support victims and those who fight the fires. The American Red Cross, Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, California Fire Foundation, Eaton Canyon Fire Relief and Recovery Fund, World Central Kitchen, California Community Foundation Wildlife Recovery Fund, Team Rubicon and several other local animal rescue organizations were designated as recipients of donations.
