By Jourdan Rodrigue, Alex Andrejev and Rebecca Tauber
Monday's wild-card playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings will likely be moved from SoFi Stadium to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, after multiple wildfires devastated the Los Angeles County area this week, the NFL announced announced on Thursday. The game stays scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET.
The NFC's No. 4 Rams were previously scheduled to host the sport against the No. 5 Vikings at their venue in Inglewood, California, however the league pivoted to its contingency plan after deadly fires hit tens of hundreds of acres of land around Los Angeles Angeles burned down. The fire department's latest estimates indicate residents have been displaced on account of evacuation orders and greater than 5,000 structures have been destroyed. Officials told multiple media outlets on Wednesday that at the very least five people died within the fires.
“The decision was made in consultation with officials, participating clubs and the NFLPA,” the NFL said said on Thursday.
The Arizona Cardinals will open their facilities to the team for practice, walk-throughs and pregame meetings on Monday, in line with a Rams spokesman. The Rams will travel to Arizona in a while Friday.
Tickets for the sport at State Farm Stadium will go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. PT for Rams season ticket holders and at noon PT for most of the people, the NFL said.
The Rams originally began practice as scheduled on Thursday afternoon. But during this exercise, winds picked up and recent smoke appeared on the mountain horizon as news of the brand new Kenneth Fire in West Hills broke. The team has canceled players' post-practice workouts, locker room visits and media availability so players can check on their relations and go home.
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Other Los Angeles sports teams, including the Chargers, adjusted their schedules on account of the impact of the fires. The Chargers, who play the Texans in a wild-card playoff game in Houston on Saturday, modified their practice schedule on Wednesday to limit the period of time players spend outdoors on the sphere on account of potentially unhealthy air quality.
AirNOW, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's air quality reporting index, considers AQI levels of 101 to 150 to be “unhealthy for sensitive groups” and recommends that outdoor activities be shorter and fewer intense once the extent exceeds 100. Long or intense outdoor activities must be avoided above 150, in line with AirNOW, and all people should avoid any outdoor physical activity above 200.
The devastating devastation brought on by the wildfires that began earlier this week had already resulted within the cancellation of a Los Angeles Kings home game scheduled for Wednesday night against the Calgary Flames, the Los Angeles Lakers home game scheduled for Thursday night against the Charlotte Hornets and a women's Basketball game between Pepperdine University and Portland on Thursday was postponed. ESPN also had to alter its programming on Wednesday because a production facility in Los Angeles was closed.
Among the hundreds of buildings destroyed in the hearth is the childhood home of Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who told reporters that his 90-year-old mother needed to be evacuated and is currently protected.
“It's surreal and devastating,” Kerr said Thursday, later adding: “It's hard to imagine how Pacific Palisades will be rebuilt and how it will become a thriving community again. It’s just shocking.”
Steve Kerr confirms his childhood home in Pacific Palisades burned down in the hearth. He said he was there two weeks ago for dinner together with his mother (who made it out unscathed). Here he speaks intimately in regards to the devastation of the hearth and the lost memories. pic.twitter.com/mvJuBwPo9g
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 9, 2025
Carlos Vela, who played for Los Angeles FC, lost his home in the hearth, his wife announced on her Instagram Story. Angel City defender Ali Riley also posted on X that her family had lost their home.
This was our home. How is that this real? It can't be real. #PalisadesFire pic.twitter.com/0ddg3nP1YI
– Ali Riley (@RileyThree) January 9, 2025
Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard missed a game against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday because his family needed to evacuate due to fires.
Meanwhile, the historic Rose Bowl Stadium, positioned near the Eaton Fire, is inside range of evacuation orders issued.
The status of other events scheduled in Los Angeles stays unclear, including a game between the LA Clippers and Hornets on Saturday and the Genesis Invitational, a PGA Tour stop scheduled for Feb. 10-16 at Riviera Country Club within the Pacific is palisades.
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