Over the recent days, multiple wildfires have engulfed the Los Angeles area, taking the lives of two people and forcing the evacuation of more than 70,000 according to Associated Press. “At least four separate blazes were burning in the metro area, from the Pacific Coast inland to Pasadena, home of the famed Rose Parade,” the AP wrote .”With thousands of firefighters already attacking the flames, the Los Angeles Fire Department put out a plea for off-duty firefighters to help, and weather conditions were too windy for firefighter aircraft to fly, further hampering the fight.”
With the Vikings and the Rams set to compete in Super Wild Card Weekend on Monday night, rumors have been swirling at possibly moving the game to a safer location. “The NFL continues to closely monitor developments in the area and will remain in contact with both clubs and the NFLPA,” chief NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement.
The NFL has moved games to neutral sites due to weather before, back in 2022 the Browns vs. Bills game was moved to Detroit due to snowstorms in Buffalo dropping feet of snow. So it is not out of the realm of possibility for the league to move this playoff game to somewhere else for safety reasons. SoFi Stadium is located about 45 northeast of one evacuation zone. Some of the potential landing spots could be Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Levi’s Stadium in San Francisco or State Farm Stadium in Glendale.
The absolute last resort for the NFL would be to postpone the game. Doing so would either halt the playoffs entirely or would severely disadvantage the winner of the Rams and Vikings because they would end up playing on a much shorter week. So delaying the game is not an option.
We will keep you updated on any developments as they come.
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