Goodell: State Farm Stadium ‘perfect fit’ for Vikings-Rams

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Los Angeles Rams made themselves at home Monday night for their NFL wild-card round playoff game against the Minnesota Vikings — even though their adopted stadium had an unusual amount of red and was nearly 400 miles east of their regular venue.

The NFC West champion Rams were the home team for the game against the Minnesota Vikings at State Farm Stadium, home of the Rams’ division rival Arizona Cardinals. The game was moved Thursday, just days after devastating wildfires broke out in the Los Angeles area.

“When we made that decision, the league is coming together,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in an interview on ESPN. “And we have preparations for what we call contingency plans, (which) include two stadiums every week, and this was a perfect fit for the location for Los Angeles Rams fans.

“I’m proud to say 45,000 of them made the trip over here, which is just extraordinary to me.”

Los Angeles fans filled large sections of the parking lot before the game, shooting by the thousands. Both end zones were painted in the Rams’ blue and yellow color scheme, and the team’s logo was painted at midfield. As fans entered the stadium, they were greeted with Rams towels.

A “Thank You Firefighters and First Responders” banner was prominent in one end zone and an “LA Together” banner was on display before the game.

State Farm Stadium – with a capacity of 63,400 – seemed nearly full at kickoff.

“There’s a feeling among the team — this is for LA,” Rams running back Kyren Williams said Saturday. “This is for the hope at home that they can cling to, that the Rams are going to be the people that can take them away from whatever they’re going through for a few hours.”

Game moves are rare in the NFL, but not without precedent. Arizona has been a hot spot for last-minute moves.

In 2003, the league moved a Monday night regular season game between the Chargers and Dolphins from San Diego to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, to avoid wildfires in Southern California. In 2020, the San Francisco 49ers spent about a month in Arizona due to COVID-19 restrictions at home in Santa Clara County.