NFL announces contingency plan for Rams-Vikings game in wake of wildfires
As wildfires continue to rage across Southern California, the NFL announced its contingency plan if the Rams and Minnesota Vikings are unable to play their NFC wild-card playoff game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on Monday night.
The teams are still preparing as if they will play there as scheduled. But should Inglewood not be a safe playing environment, the league said Wednesday, the game would be played Monday night at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
“The NFL’s priority is the safety of the Los Angeles community. We are grateful for the tireless efforts of the first responders. Our hearts are with Los Angeles and everyone affected by the fires. We continue to prepare to play the Vikings-Rams game as scheduled Monday night at SoFi Stadium. As with all games, there are contingency plans in the event a change in location is needed,” the NFL’s statement read. “We will continue to closely monitor developments in the area and will remain in contact with public officials, both clubs and the NFLPA.”
Monday is supposed to be the first home playoff game for the Rams (10-7) since they won Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium in February 2022. But the Palisades fire, Eaton fire, Hurst fire and others have burned across Southern California in recent days, throwing the whole region into flux.
SoFi Stadium’s location puts it well out of range of the fires. But the venue’s open-air, roofed design could make air quality due to smoke an issue, though the NFL didn’t specify exactly what factors it was monitoring.
Accuweather.com listed Inglewood’s air quality as “unhealthy” on Wednesday, the fourth-worst out of six designations.
The Rams’ practice schedule for Thursday, Friday and Saturday remains unchanged in wake of the fires, a team spokesperson said.
State Farm Stadium and its usual home team, the Arizona Cardinals, have played this role as an emergency spot host in the past. In 2003, prior to State Farm Stadium’s construction, the Chargers and Miami Dolphins played in in Tempe on 24-hour notice due to a wildfire in San Diego. The San Francisco 49ers played three home games at State Farm Stadium in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions in California.