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. One Kings game and one Lakers game were postponed due to 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, participating clubs and the NFLPA.”
The game time remains the same, starting at 8 pm ET.
The Rams had a scheduled off day on Wednesday, although the Los Angeles Chargerswho share SoFi Stadium and are heading to Houston for a wild-card game on Saturday, limited players’ time outdoors during practice due to 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 the wildfires in San Diego. During the COVID season in 2020, 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 Eaton Fire, have devastated communities in the Los Angeles area, including Pacific Palisades and Altadena. The fires burned nearly 30,000 acres during a wind event in Santa Ana, with at least 130,000 people in the area under evacuation orders. At least five people have died in the fires and more than 1,000 buildings have been destroyed.
This week’s wildfires brought attention to the issue of insurers no longer accepting new policies or refusing to renew old policies in California communities at high risk for wildfires. And prominent entertainment figures denounced the movements.
Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a building on Sunset Boulevard during a powerful wind storm on January 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.
