NFL plans for Rams to host Vikings Monday but may shift to Arizona due to fires
Five days before the Rams host the Minnesota Vikings in an NFC wild-card playoff game, the NFL said it was keeping an eye on the wildfires that have ravaged parts of Los Angeles County since Tuesday.
The league said it currently plans for the Rams to host the Vikings during their playoff game Monday night at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood south of where fires burned on Wednesday, but it has a contingency plan if the fires adversely impact the ability to host the game.
“As with all games, there are contingency plans in the event a change in location is needed,” the NFL said in a statement. “In this instance, the game would be played on Monday night at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.”
Wind gusts reaching nearly 100 mph have fueled the Palisades, Eaton, Hurst and Woodley fires, which started Tuesday and were responsible for at least five deaths and have burned more than 1,100 buildings as of Wednesday afternoon.
Five people have died, more than 2,000 structures have burned and at least 130,000 residents are under evacuation orders because of the wildfires burning across Los Angeles County. “We are absolutely not out of danger yet,” Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley said.
The NFC West champion and No. 4-seeded Rams are scheduled to play the No. 5 Vikings at 5 p.m. PST on Monday at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. With a scheduled day off from practice Wednesday, it remains to be seen whether the Rams will explore practicing somewhere other than their Woodland Hills facility later this week.
The Rams posted on X that their “hearts are with those affected by” the fires and “the first responders protecting our community.”
“Be safe,” the team wrote.
Star receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua were among the Rams players who posted similar sentiments.
“Thank you to the firefighters, first responders, and everyone else doing their best in unfathomable circumstances,” Kupp wrote.
The NHL postpones Wednesday night’s scheduled game between the Kings and the Calgary Flames at Crypto.com Arena because of the wildfires burning in L.A. County.
Nacua added: “God bless the families impacted!”
The Chargers, who also play their home games at SoFi Stadium but are opening the playoffs on the road Saturday against the Houston Texans, will donate $200,000 in wildfire relief efforts, the team announced Wednesday. The money will be split across the American Red Cross, the L.A. Fire Department Foundation, Team Rubicon and pet rescue organizations sheltering animals displaced by the fires.
Returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2022, the Chargers adjusted their practice routine Wednesday to limit players’ time outside at the El Segundo practice facility. Offensive players and defensive scout team members alternated on-field sessions with defensive players and offensive scout team members and some coaches and team personnel were wearing face masks on the field.
While most Chargers players and coaches live near the South Bay and were outside of immediate danger, offensive coordinator Greg Roman said wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal and his family had to evacuate from their Calabasas home.
The Chargers will open the NFL playoffs with an AFC wild-card game on Saturday at Houston and the Rams will close the weekend with a Monday night game at home.
The Chargers canceled one of their postseason fan events in Sherman Oaks, originally scheduled for Friday, but will proceed with “Charge Up to Playoffs” events in Orange, Rancho Cucamonga and Hermosa Beach while also holding supply drives for evacuation centers.
Fans attending events are asked to bring commonly requested items for an evacuation situation, including bottled water, blankets, new or gently used clothes, first aid kits, hygiene products (soap, shampoo, deodorant, saline solution, toothpaste, toothbrush, hand sanitizer), baby supplies (diapers, formula, wet wipes), feminine hygiene products, paper towels, toilet paper, portable chargers, pet food and water.
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