The NFL announced Thursday that a playoff game between the Vikings and Rams originally scheduled for Southern California will be played in Arizona.
The NFL announced the contingency plan Wednesday, and Monday night’s wild-card contest will be played at the home of the Arizona Cardinals.
This is the third game in Los Angeles to be affected this week. A Kings game and a Lakers game were postponed because of the flames.
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The exterior of SoFi Stadium during a game between the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Rams on January 3, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Kevin Reece/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The game was moved “in the interest of public safety,” the NFL said in a statement. “The decision was made in consultation with public officials, the participating clubs and the NFLPA.”
The time of the game is still the same and it starts at 8 p.m. ET.
The Rams had a scheduled day off Wednesday, though Los Angeles Chargerswho share SoFi Stadium and travel to Houston to play a wild-card game Saturday, limited players’ time outside during practice because of poor air quality.
State Farm Stadium has played a similar role in the past. In 2003, the Dolphins and Chargers played in Glendale due to wildfires in San Diego. During the 2020 COVID season, the 49ers played three “home” games there.
State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, without fans during the San Francisco 49ers’ game against the Seattle Seahawks. (Kiyoshi Mio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Several active wildfires, including the Palisades Fire and the Eaton Fire, have devastated communities in the Los Angeles area, including Pacific Palisades and Altadena. The fires have burned nearly 30,000 acres during a Santa Ana wind event, with at least 130,000 people in the area under evacuation orders. At least five people have been killed in the fires and more than 1,000 buildings have been destroyed.
This week’s wildfires brought new attention to the issue of insurers no longer accepting new policies or refusing to renew old policies in California communities at high risk of wildfires. And prominent entertainment figures called the measures.
Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a building on Sunset Boulevard during a strong windstorm Jan. 8, 2025, in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Times noted that the city has not had at least a tenth of an inch of rain since May 5.
