For just the second time in NFL history, a playoff game is on the move. With deadly wildfires in the Los Angeles area, the league is opting for safety first to wrap up wild-card weekend.
There will be no true home-field advantage for the Rams Monday night as the NFL relocated their playoff game vs. the Minnesota Vikings from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, to State Farm Stadium in Arizona.
The NFL has long been at the mercy of Mother Nature, forced to move games because of weather-related incidents. Hurricanes, snow storms and more have caused a change of venue or, more commonly, postponement for a day — as we saw last year with the Steelers-Bills wild card game.
But changing venues in the playoffs is a rarity.
Here’s everything to know about the history of venue changes in the NFL playoffs:
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Has an NFL playoff game ever been moved before?
The NFL’s decision to move the Rams-Vikings game marks just the second time the league’s moved a playoff game in its 105-season history. While Monday’s game is being moved for safety concerns, that wasn’t the case in the only other instance, which occurred in 1936.
The 1936 NFL championship game, between Boston (now the Washington Commanders) and the Green Bay Packers, was the first one to be held on a neutral field, something that has become commonplace in today’s game. Still more than 30 years before the Super Bowl, the championship game was played on one the team’s home fields.
That year’s game was moved from Boston’s Fenway Park to New York’s Polo Grounds because of poor ticket sales. Boston owner George Preston Marshall decided to move the game with the lack of fan support and then relocated the team to Washington, D.C., the following season, which they’ve represented since.
The Packers went on to win, 21-6, for their fourth NFL championship and first in the playoff format.
Why did the NFL move the Vikings-Rams game?
The NFL decided to move the Vikings vs. Rams game for safety reasons as a result of the deadly wildfires in the Los Angeles area.
‘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 NFL announced today,’ the NFL said in a statement. ‘The decision was made in consultation with public officials, the participating clubs and the NFLPA.’
At least five wildfires have decimated the area, forcing hundreds of thousands to evacuate as flames ripped through homes and buildings, tearing down everything in their path.
Between worsening air quality and the danger the community still faces, moving the game felt like an obvious outcome.
The sports world has, rightfully, taken a back seat to the ongoing fire concerns, with the NBA and NHL postponing games in recent days. Los Angeles Lakers coach J.J. Redick was among the many who have lost their homes, while the Lakers and NHL’s Kings have seen postponements in the wake of the tragedy.
Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters that some of the team’s personnel were directly affected as well.
Now the team will have to try and collect themselves to prepare for a possible playoff run, which begins on Monday night.
Where is the Vikings vs. Rams game being played?
The Vikings vs. Rams game has been moved from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. It’s a venue that has hosted multiple Super Bowls, most recently in 2023, and is the home of the NFL’s Cardinals.