According to the NFL, Monday’s playoff wild-card game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings will no longer occur at SoFi Stadium.
Instead, the contest will be moved to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
The venue change is due to the widespread issues with wildfires across much of Southern California. The combination of dry overgrowth and abnormally strong Santa Ana winds has caused multiple sections of Los Angeles to be under siege over the last few days.
As of Friday, estimated damages due to the wildfires are upwards of $50 billion. Large stretches of PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) have been turned to ash. Much of Pacific Palisades has burned to the ground, and other fires across LA — including in West Hills, Studio City, Pacoima, Granada Hills, Pasadena, and Altadena — have left thousands displaced.
The infrastructure within the city is working tirelessly to alleviate these issues. However, with air quality concerns, traffic jams, rampant looting, and a lack of resources, the NFL deemed it appropriate to move the game elsewhere.
It’s a tough break for the Rams, who will now be unable to enjoy the benefit of playing a home game in front of their fans. The travel from Los Angeles to the greater Phoenix area is roughly seven hours. Those who can make the trip will likely do so.
As a means to help out those in need/who’d like to see the game, Matthew Stafford’s wife Kelly has organized charter buses to take people from LA to Glendale.
