The past 48 hours in California have been unheard of, as massive wildfires have laid siege to many parts of Los Angeles County. Thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate their homes, and the fires are only continuing to spread.
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Most events in Los Angeles have been canceled, and another one has officially joined that list. The planned Wild Card playoff matchup between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams has been moved to Arizona.
The game has been moved to State Farm Stadium, which is home to the Arizona Cardinals. The playoff matchup will still be played on Monday at 8:00 p.m. EST.
The NFL was monitoring the situation closely, and instead of risking the potential safety of staff and patrons, they have chosen to move the game to Arizona. The league also released a statement on the game being moved.
"In the interest of public safety, Monday's Vikings-Rams Wild Card game has been moved from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California to State Farm Stadium, the home of the Arizona Cardinals, the NFL announce today."
"The decision was made in consultation with public officials, the participating clubs and the NFLPA."
"The game will be televised on ESPN, ABC, ESPN+ and ESPN Deportes at its scheduled 8:00 p.m. ET time."
"Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. PT Friday morning through Seatgeek.com for Rams Season Ticket Members and Noon PT to the general public. More information on ticket sales will be provided as soon as possible," the statement reads.
The fires in California right now are unimaginable, and this is a good move by the NFL to ensure that public safety is being held to the utmost importance. The game is still going to be played between both teams, but the Rams may need to remain in Arizona should they win and advance to the Divisional Round.