None of the football storylines are important as the horrifying developments unfolding as Los Angeles wildfires destroy thousands of lives. Against that backdrop, the Rams are doing their best to prepare for a playoff game after the NFL on Thursday night moved their upcoming wild-card playoff contest against the Vikings to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Matthew Stafford and the Rams (10-7) arrived in the Phoenix area on Friday. The quarterback explained that while practice and preparation for the game against the Vikings (14-3) on Monday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC) provide a respite from the reality of the fires, their hearts are still with their neighbors. He added that he understood why the move was necessary, rather than drain the community’s emergency resources at SoFi Stadium.
“Once we get in here, there’s plenty of football to think about you know and obviously playing a really good opponent in a postseason game, that will get your attention really quickly,” said Stafford. “But I know when guys leave here, there’s things that guys are having to figure out at home, or go through and people to think about out. So, while we are here, it’s full focus 100 percent on the Vikings, with the challenges that they present. But we are also human beings and care for the people of our community.”
Hopefully, that community can gain a small respite from Monday’s night’s game. While the Arizona Cardinals graciously opened their facilities and sent team planes to transport a Rams traveling party of 355 people, six dogs and two cats, the Rams were doing their best to convert the home of their NFC West rivals into SoFi Stadium East. Another 100 Rams personnel, including families, are flying out Saturday.
The Cardinals also worked with Los Angeles president Kevin Demoff to coordinate buses and tickets to fight to keep some level of the Rams’ hard-earned homefield advantage.
Best QB game: Minnesota lost three games this season, two to the Lions and one to the Rams. In that Week 8 loss at SoFi Stadium, a 30-20 setback, the Vikings allowed Stafford to author the best game by an opponent quarterback. Stafford finished 25 of 34 for 279 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. Returning from injured reserve, Puka Nacua registered 106 yards and seven catches and Cooper Kupp added 51 yards on five receptions. According to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, the Vikings finished the regular season as the NFL’s oldest team. The question entering their first-round playoff game is whether they’re older and wiser since they last played the Rams.
Four-win advantage doesn’t guarantee victory: Per Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, Monday’s game features the seventh NFL postseason game in which a road team had at least four more regular-season wins than the home club. The team with fewer wins won the first five games (N.Y. Giants over Chicago in 1934, San Diego Chargers over Indianapolis in 2008, Seattle over New Orleans in 2010, Denver over Pittsburgh in 2011 and Arizona over Carolina in 2014). The team with more wins has won the last two (Dallas over Tampa Bay in 2022 and Tampa Bay over Washington in 2020). CBS insider Jonathan Jones reported Saturday that the league could again look into its long-standing practice of awarding division winners first-round home games despite inferior regular-season records.
For more information on the Rams and Vikings, visit the L.A. Rams and Minnesota team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
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