Where will Rams vs. Vikings be played? Latest news as NFL playoff game relocated due to L.A. wildfires

Teddy Ricketson

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Where will Rams vs. Vikings be played? Latest news as NFL playoff game relocated due to L.A. wildfires image

The Rams finished the regular season 10-7, atop the NFC West. This guaranteed them a top-four seed in the NFC playoffs, which also meant home-field advantage during the wild-card round.

The NFL playoffs in January tend to bring questionable weather for teams up north. It isn't uncommon for Baltimore or Buffalo to deal with snow during the playoffs, and the playoff game between the Chiefs and Dolphins last year had a wind chill below 0.

Los Angeles wasn't a concern for snow, especially with SoFi Stadium being indoors. But the area has been dealing with devastating wildfires, and many areas of the city have been evacuated as of Jan. 9.

The Los Angeles Kings hockey team postponed their game on Jan. 8 due to the wildfires, and the Los Angeles Lakers moved their game on Jan. 9.

The Rams became the latest sports team added to the list, as the NFL is moving the team's wild-card playoff game to Glendale, Arizona.

Here are the latest updates on the NFL's plans for the wild-card game between the Rams and Vikings on Monday, Jan. 13.

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Where will Rams vs. Vikings be played?

The NFL announced Thursday that Monday's wild-card playoff game between the Rams and Vikings will be played at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The kickoff time remains 8 p.m. ET.

 

The decision was made in consultation with public officials, the teams and the NFLPA, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported.

State Farm Stadium is the home of the Cardinals and has hosted three Super Bowls, including the Chiefs' win over the Eagles in Super Bowl 57 two years ago.

Before Thursday, the NFL had never moved locations for a playoff game, though the league had delayed some in the past. In January 2017, the league delayed the start of the Chiefs-Steelers game by seven hours due to snow. The Bills-Steelers playoff game in 2024 was moved from Sunday to Monday due to lake-effect snow that covered Buffalo, New York.

The NFL had announced earlier Thursday that the game remained as scheduled but could be played in Arizona if necessary. 

The Rams reiterated Thursday that the safety of the fans and the Los Angeles community is the top priority. After the game's relocation, they likely won't get to host a playoff game this season as the city battles devastating fires. 

MORE 2025 NFL PLAYOFF NEWS:

Los Angeles wildfires map

Los Angeles wildfires map 2025

(California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection)

Los Angeles is currently dealing with five fires. The southern most near Santa Monica is the Palisades fire. This and the Eaton fire northeast of Glendale are the two most affecting the metropolitan area of LA. The Palisades is the largest fire as of Thursday morning, with reports suggesting it has burned more than 15,000 acres of land so far. 

Where is the Rams stadium?

The Rams play at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. From the map above, it is southeast of Santa Monica, so not in the area directly affected by the fires at the moment. This doesn't mean that the game will for sure stay in Los Angeles as the path of the fire is unpredictable and the NFL has to think about the safety of fans travelling to the game. 

NFL COACHING NEWS:

Where is State Farm Stadium?

State Farm Stadium is in Glendale, Arizona. It is the home of the Cardinals and also a dome. It's not the closest stadium to SoFi, but it is just shy of six hours east of the Rams' home. 

NFL's relocated playoff games

The NFL has moved games due to weather in the past. According to NBCSports Boston, 16 different games have had to change locations due to weather since 1985, though none of them have been in the playoffs. The then-San Diego Chargers had a regular season game against the Dolphins moved to Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona due to the 2003 Cedar Fire. 

If this game is moved, it wouldn't be the first sports-related event to be affected. The Kings were set to host the Flames on Thursday night, but the NHL postponed the game. A similar thing happened earlier in the season when a game between the Lightning and Hurricanes was postponed and made up at a later time.

NFL DRAFT NEWS:

Teddy Ricketson

Teddy Ricketson Photo

Teddy Ricketson is a Digital Content Producer at The Sporting News. He joined the team in 2024 after spending the last three years writing for Vox Media as part of its DK Nation/Network team. Teddy does his best to support the South Carolina Gamecocks and Carolina Panthers, but tends to have more fun cheering on the Atlanta Braves. In his free time, he loves spending time with his wife, Brooke, and their two dogs, Bo and Hootie.