The Los Angeles Rams paid tribute to their city’s first responders and victims of the ongoing fires as they gave a surprisingly dominant performance to beat the Minnesota Vikings and clinch the last NFC playoff spot Monday.
The Rams beat the Vikings 27-9 and will now face the Philadelphia Eagles in the next round. That game will take place on Sunday at noon PT on NBC.
Last night’s game was played out in Glendale, AZ, home of the Arizona Cardinals. The fixture was moved last week in response to the LA fires, which have killed 24 to date, consumed 38,000 acres burned and more than 3,100 structures since beginning last Tuesday. This Rams had earned the home field advantage after clinching the NFC West regular-season title.
At the start of the game, former Rams Super Bowl champion Andrew Whitworth took the mic at State Farm Stadium to send a message of hope and love back to L.A. amid the devastating wildfires that have gripped the city for almost a week.
Whitworth, who played for the Rams for five seasons, retiring after the team’s Super Bowl win in 2022 and now an NFL analyst for Prime Video, stood in front of the crowd made up of Rams, Vikings and likely Arizona Cardinals fans during the pregame to address his city’s plight.
“This week, our Los Angeles region has been ravaged by catastrophic wildfires,” he said. “Over 150,000 people have been evacuated. Our friends and our neighbors have lost homes, and entire communities have been devastated, and there’s still more work to do. The courage and bravery of our firefighters and our first responders prove that real-life heroes live among us. But I believe in the people of Los Angeles — we are strong. We will not be defined by this devastation, we will rebuild hand in hand together for as long as it takes and whatever it takes, we will build it together.
“Los Angeles. I love you. We love you, and we are with you.”
The stadium, usually adorned in the hometown Cardinals’ red and white, was painted with the Rams colors and logos tonight, an odd site away from SoFi Stadium where L.A. plays its home games.
The NFL decided Thursday to relocate the game “in the interest of public safety.” It joined the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers and the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings in postponing games because of the fires, which have been exacerbated by dangerously fierce Santa Ana winds and dry conditions around L.A. County.
