When the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings face off in the final NFL Wild Card game this weekend, it will not be played at the home of the Rams, SoFi Stadium. The game’s relocation is due to the wildfires raging across the Los Angeles area and causing significant damage.
The game is being moved to the home of the Arizona Cardinals to provide safety and allow for the proper resources to help with the wildfires.
State Farm Field in Glendale Will Host Rams vs. Vikings
The Vikings-Rams Monday night game is being moved to a neutral-site field and will be played at State Farm Field, the home of the Cardinals in Glendale, Arizona.
According to The Los Angeles Times, this is one of the most destructive fires in the region’s history. The Palisades fire is the worst of them all, with over 23,000 acres burning so far.
The NFL ultimately decided to move the game to Arizona, releasing the following statement:
“In the interest of public safety, Monday’s Vikings-Rams Wild Card game has been moved from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA, to State Farm Stadium, the home of the Arizona Cardinals. The decision was made in consultation with public officials, the participating clubs and the NFLPA.”
The game will kick off as scheduled at 8 p.m. ET and air on ESPN, ABC, ESPN+, and ESPN Deportes.
With this being the playoffs, there were few options for when the game could be played. Any delay in when the game would be played would impact the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
This is not the first time that an NFL game has been relocated a game due to wildfires.
Back in October 2003, the NFL moved a Monday Night Football game between the San Diego Chargers and Miami Dolphins from Qualcomm Stadium in California to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.
At the time, three factors reportedly contributed to the NFL’s decision to relocate the game:
- Qualcomm Stadium’s parking lot was being used as an evacuation center
- Poor air quality because of the smoke
- Police were stretched thin, so providing game security would be an issue
These are similar reasons to why SoFi Stadium will not be hosting their playoff game.
This will be only the second playoff game ever to be moved. The other was 89 years ago when the NFL Championship Game between Boston and Green Bay was moved to New York from Boston.
Two playoff games in NFL history have been moved to a new city, per @NFLPlus:
1936: Boston Redskins and Green Bay Packers NFL Championship Game, from Boston to New York.
2025: Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams wild-card game, from L.A. to Glendale, Ariz.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 10, 2025
Rams Trying To Make This Feel Like a Home Game
While the Rams will not be playing at their home stadium, the field is being set up to make it look and feel as much as it can as if the game was being played at SoFi Stadium.
The turf and field will be set up and marked with the Rams being shown as the home team despite the game being played in Arizona.
Thanks for opening your doors to us, @AZCardinals. 🫶 pic.twitter.com/9zgyUabQdk
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) January 12, 2025
That is the least that can be done to allow the Rams to make it feel like a home game with their logos and name on the field.
This game between the Vikings and Rams likely will have a different type of energy with it being played at a neutral site.
It will be interesting to see what type of crowd shows up for this game and if the Rams’ fan base can make it sound like a home game at SoFi Stadium, or if Vikings fans can show up and make a difference for their team.