NFL May Move Monday Night Playoff Game Out Of Fire-Ravaged Southern California

The NFL has drawn up contingency plans to move the Monday Night Football playoff game between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams out of fire-ravaged Southern California if necessary, the league announced Wednesday evening.

The NFL released a statement on its plans that, for the time being, keep the game at SoFi Stadium as scheduled.

NFL: Moving Game To Arizona Possible

“The NFL’s priority is the safety of the Los Angeles community,” the statement reads. “We are grateful for the tireless efforts of the first responders. Our hearts are with Los Angeles and everyone affected by the fires.

“We continue to prepare to play the Vikings-Rams game as scheduled Monday night at SoFi Stadium. As with all games, there are contingency plans in the event a change in location is needed. In this instance, the game would be played on Monday night at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ, if necessary.

“We will continue to closely monitor developments in the area and will remain in contact with public officials, both clubs and the NFLPA.”

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JANUARY 8: Flames from the Palisades Fire burn a building on Sunset Boulevard amid a powerful windstorm on January 8, 2025 in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Fueled by intense Santa Ana Winds, the Palisades Fire has grown to over 15,000 acres and 30,000 people have been ordered to evacuate while a second major fire continues to burn near Eaton Canyon in Altadena.  (Photo by Apu Gomes/Getty Images)

SoFi Stadium Near Pacific Palisades

Raging wildfires in the Los Angeles area, fueled by strong winds, have taken at least five lives, per national reports.

Thousands of residents have evacuated and thousands more are under mandatory evacuation orders as the multiple fires close in on residential areas uncontrolled.

Victor M. Gordo, the mayor of Pasadena, said that as many as 100,000 people have been ordered to evacuate, and that another 100,000 people had been warned that they should evacuate because they were in a danger zone. 

“Hundreds of homes have been lost,” he said.

Amid that, the NFL is weighing the need to move the game to the home of the Arizona Cardinals because playing the game at SoFi could not only endanger crowds and teams but also draw the resources of first responders away from their more urgent duties attending to the crisis.

SoFi Stadium in Inglewood is about 15 miles southeast of the biggest fire in Pacific Palisades.

GLENDALE, ARIZONA – JANUARY 5: General manager John Lynch of the San Francisco 49ers enters the field prior to an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, at State Farm Stadium on January 5, 2025 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)

Lynch Offers Thoughts And Prayers

The fires have been on the mind of many people nationally and obviously in California. San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch, speaking from the team’s practice facility in Northern California well away from the fires, began his end-of-season press conference Wednesday by talking about his neighbors to the south.

“First of all, on behalf of [head coach] Kyle [Shanahan], our families, our organization, just wanted to let the folks in L.A., I’m a Southern California guy, know a lot of people down there and people who’ve been directly affected already, and I’m sure there’s going to be more,” Lynch said. “So our hearts do, we’ve been sitting in what we call our mine meetings, talking about all our players on a closeout and your mind keeps drifting because man, that’s rough down there. 

“So our thoughts and prayers do go to the folks and people of L.A. and that things calm down.”

The NFL gave no indication what its timetable for deciding when the playoff game would remain in Los Angeles or be moved. It would have to happen by Saturday at the latest – in time to give both teams time to adjust (Vikings) and make (Rams) travel plans, if necessary.