The wild-card playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings on Monday will be moved from SoFi Stadium to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., after multiple wildfires ravaged the Los Angeles County area this week, the NFL announced Thursday. The game remains scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
The NFC’s No. 4 Rams were previously slated to host the matchup against the No. 5 Vikings at their Inglewood, Calif., venue, but the league pivoted to its contingency plan after the deadly fires burned tens of thousands of acres around Los Angeles, displacing residents under evacuation orders and destroying more than 5,000 structures, according to recent estimates from fire officials. Officials told multiple outlets Wednesday that the fires killed at least five people.
“The decision was made in consultation with public officials, the participating clubs and the NFLPA,” the NFL said Thursday.
The league said tickets to the game in Arizona will go on sale at 10 a.m. PT on Friday for Rams season ticket holders and at noon PT for the general public.
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Other Los Angeles sports teams, including the Chargers, adjusted their schedules due to the impact of the fires. The Chargers — who play in a wild-card playoff game against the Texans on Saturday in Houston — changed their practice schedule Wednesday to limit the time players spent outdoors on the field due to potentially unhealthy air quality.
AirNOW, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s index for reporting air quality, considers AQI levels from 101 to 150 to be “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” and recommends that outdoor activities be shorter and less intense once the level tops 100. Long or intense outdoor activities should be avoided above 150, per AirNOW, and all people should avoid all physical activity outdoors above 200.
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(Photo: Mario Tama / Getty Images)
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