Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford acknowledged how important Monday night’s playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings was in the midst of a natural disaster back home.
The Rams-Vikings matchup was moved from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, because of wildfires that struck the Los Angeles area. The Rams practiced once at their facility before heading to Arizona to prepare for the game.
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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, #9, throws against the Minnesota Vikings during the first half of an NFL wild card playoff football game on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Rams fans still showed up to the stadium and supported their team as they won the game, 27-9.
“There was definitely every excuse in the book to come out here and be lethargic and woe is me and all that, but we knew we weren’t playing just for us,” he told reporters, via Pro Football Talk. “Playing for people back home that needed something to watch and enjoy and I’m glad we could give that to them.”
Stafford was among the players and coaches who supported the Los Angeles Fire Department before and during the game, wearing shirts that said “LAFD.”
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell talked about the decision to move the game earlier Monday.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford answers a question during a news conference after an NFL football wild card playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
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“What the people in Los Angeles are going through, the devastation, the loss, the heartache all of us feel for them, we knew the game couldn’t be played there by Thursday,” he said on ESPN. “The public safety and compromising any of that was not something we do. And we wanted to make sure the focus for the first responders was taking care of the people that are struggling out there so much.
“When we made that decision, the league comes together. We have preparations or what we call contingency plans that includes two stadiums every week, and this was a perfect fit as far as the location for the Los Angeles Rams’ fans, and I’m proud to say 45,000 of them made the trip over here, which is just extraordinary. Everybody came together and Michael Bidwell and the Cardinals are at the top of that list.”
Before the game, the Rams were among the 12 Los Angeles and Anaheim area teams that announced a combined $8 million donation to those affected by the wildfires.
Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, #9, throws before an NFL wild card playoff football game against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
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The money will go to support victims and those fighting the fires. The American Red Cross, Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, California Fire Foundation, Eaton Canyon Fire Relief and Recovery Fund, World Central Kitchen, California Community Foundation Wildlife Recovery Fund, Team Rubicon and several other local animal rescue organizations were named as the beneficiaries of the donations.
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