NFL Moves Vikings-Rams Playoff Game To Arizona After Days Of Devastating LA Wildfires

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In a brief statement, the league said the decision was made “in the interest of public safety.”

The Rams had a Monday night game against Kansas City relocated from Mexico City to Los Angeles in 2018 because of concerns about the playing surface at Azteca Stadium, and McVay cited that experience as part of his preparation for the uncertainty created this week.

The Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers — who will play a wild-card game at Houston on Saturday — both practiced outdoors this week, but both teams’ coaches were concerned about the air quality, with Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh cutting his players’ normal outdoor time in half.

Los Angeles has been besieged by multiple wildfires all week following two days of extraordinary wind across the vast metropolitan area. The newest fire triggered an evacuation order in West Hills, a suburban neighborhood directly northwest of the Rams’ complex. The Kenneth Fire ballooned in size — charring over a square mile — within hours of igniting.

“We’ve lost power where I am for a couple of days,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “We’ve been lucky in that regard, that (loss of) power is the worst thing that’s happened to us. Obviously it’s a tough thing to watch on the news, to be around, to see. Driving around, seeing all that, it’s just really sad to see what’s going on. A bunch of people (are) doing everything they possibly can to try and get things under control and get people back to normal as quickly as possible.”

The Los Angeles area will be at a high fire risk through Friday, the National Weather Service announced.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

While none of the fires was burning near SoFi Stadium in Inglewood — which is southwest of downtown Los Angeles — the NFL opted to move the game amid concerns about air quality, the strain put on the community and the possible demands on police and fire department personnel.

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The game will be played Monday night at State Farm Stadium, the home of the Arizona Cardinals, in suburban Glendale.

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“You acknowledge these things, but you also want to make sure that how you can control making sure that you’re doing the right things is preparing accordingly, while also being mindful that this is bigger than football,” McVay said. “If people you’re directly involved with are affected, you’re making sure you’re tending to that first.”

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