Moving wild card game would give Vikings advantage over Rams

The NFL is considering moving Rams-Vikings wild card game to Arizona due to wildfires

As the Los Angeles Rams and the NFL monitor how best to manage the wildfire situation in Southern California as it relates to Monday Night’s playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert noted that a relocation could favor the away team. Though the priority is and should be how to have a game that is safe and not negatively impacting an area that is going through a difficult time, moving the game to Arizona nonetheless favors the Vikings, notes Seifert:

“The Rams earned a home venue, and everyone knows that a game in Arizona would have a much heavier presence of Vikings fans. NFL will give it as much time as it can.”

Minnesota reporter Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness news said “I don’t know how you pull this off Monday night at SoFi”, meaning that he thinks the game is more likely to be moved than not.

The Rams released a statement on Thursday as well, noting that “as of now” the game is continuing at SoFi as scheduled, but that the game could still be moved to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ as “only a contingency plan”. If that happens, ticket holders will be contacted via e-mail.

The NFL has moved several games to Arizona in the past due to unforeseen conditions that made a home game impossible, but this one would directly impact a playoff game. The California wildfires have caused evacuation orders for 179,000 residents as of Thursday morning and is “the most destructive ever in Los Angeles”, according to the L.A. Fire Chief.

We will keep you updated as necessary as to the location of the game.