L.A. Rams NFL Playoff Game Moves to Arizona Due to Wildfires
The NFL is moving a playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings to Arizona in the wake of devastating wildfires in Southern California this week.
The NFL announced the decision Thursday evening, saying that it made the move “in the interest of public safety” and “in consultation with public officials, the participating clubs and the NFLPA.”
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The fires, in addition to the devastation they are causing to property, is filling the air around L.A. with smoke, which could be hazardous to air quality. The league did not specify which public safety issues sparked the decision to move the game.
The Rams, winners of the NFC West division in the regular season, had been slated to host the Vikings at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood for a wild-card playoff game on Monday night. Instead, the game will be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the usual home of the Arizona Cardinals.
The game is still scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. ET, and will be televised on ABC and ESPN. The league says that tickets will go sale at 10 a.m. PT Friday for Rams season ticket holders, and at noon for the general public.
The NFL said on Wednesday that it was monitoring the situation and still preparing for the game to be played in Los Angeles, but that “there are contingency plans in the event a change in location is needed.”
The league has moved some games to neutral sites in the past. Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the New Orleans Saints played most of their scheduled “home” games in San Antonio, Texas, or Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and in 2003 moved a regular season contest between the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins to Arizona due to fires around San Diego.
(The Chargers, now based in L.A. as well, are also playing in the wild-card round but are traveling to Houston for their game against the Texans on Saturday.)
In addition to the NFL move, the National Hockey League postponed a Wednesday game between the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames, and the NBA likewise postponed a Thursday home game for the L.A. Lakers against the Charlotte Hornets.
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