ARIZONA CARDINALS

Cardinals play great hosts, as Rams crush Vikings in playoff game moved to Arizona due to wildfires

Jan 13, 2025, 9:30 PM | Updated: 11:37 pm

Rams, Arizona...

Pregame view of State Farm Stadium before the Los Angeles Rams hosted the Minnesota Vikings for a playoff game moved due to wildfires in Los Angeles on Monday, Jan. 13, in Glendale, Arizona. (Arizona Sports Photo/Alex Weiner)

(Arizona Sports Photo/Alex Weiner)

GLENDALE — The Los Angeles Rams traveled to a home game away from home as their city continues to fight destructive wildfires, and they dominated the Minnesota Vikings in their Wild Card round victory at State Farm Stadium on Monday, 27-9.

The game had a great turnout with 64,515 announced fans in Glendale, especially considering this game was to be played in Los Angeles as of Wednesday evening.

Fans piled into buses before the sun rose on Monday morning at SoFi Stadium to attend, and — sorry Cardinals fans — the Rams displayed a resilience and ferocity to reward them with a win. 

“There was definitely every excuse in the book to come out here and be lethargic and ‘woe is me’ and all that,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “But we weren’t playing just for us, we were playing for people back home that needed something to watch and enjoy. And I’m glad we could give that to them.”

Los Angeles’ defense played a stellar game, sacking Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold six times in the first half alone and finishing with nine sacks, which tied the NFL playoff record. A strip sack from Ahkello Witherspoon was returned 57 yards for a touchdown by Jared Verse to give L.A. a 17-3 lead in the second quarter, a back-breaking turn of events for the Vikings.

“Like, a sack party I was not invited to,” Verse joked after eight different Rams players were credited with at least half of a sack.

Minnesota returned a fumble for a touchdown in the first quarter, but a review determined Stafford flipped the ball forward to an intended target. Instead of a 10-10 game, the Rams ran away with a 24-3 lead at halftime as their side of the split crowd bellowed “Whose house? Rams house!” in the home of the Cardinals. There were a few Cardinals jerseys sprinkled throughout the crowd, naturally.

The Rams’ offense led drives of 70 and 62 net yards to put up 10 points before the defensive score. Stafford found tight end Davis Allen for a touchdown 21 seconds before halftime after a Minnesota turnover on downs.

Minnesota held Los Angeles to three points in the second half, but its offense could not muster a comeback.

“I think you could just feel it, you could feel it in warm ups. There was just an aura,” head coach Sean McVay said. “Once we got to Arizona … once we got here, I think that offered just a chance to kind of exhale. Now, let’s lock in. Let’s all be in the same place. Let’s have two really good days of preparation, and then let’s peak at the right time. And our guys certainly did that.”

The Rams arrived in Arizona on Friday and used the Cardinals’ facilities to prepare.

Los Angeles will travel to Philadelphia in the Divisional Round and kick off on Sunday. The Rams started the year 1-4, including a 41-10 shellacking by the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. They went 9-2 over the next 11 games to claim the NFC West.

The Vikings went 14-3 in the regular season, but a Week 18 loss to the Detroit Lions cost them the division crown, and they enter an offseason having to manage a quarterback controversy with Darnold and 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy.

Cardinals successfully host playoff game between Rams-Vikings

The NFL sets up contingency plans for games throughout the season, but rarely are they ever needed. With the ongoing wildfires devastating Los Angeles, the league moved Monday’s playoff game to Glendale. More than 40,000 acres have burned and 12,000 structures have been destroyed as of Monday evening with more strong winds coming, per Cal Fire.

The Cardinals played the role of a welcoming host, and despite the division rivalry, the cooperation between the Cardinals and Rams led to a successful event in Glendale. The building had great energy, and seeing friends reunite in the parking lot pregame given this past week’s events in Los Angeles showed what sports are all about at the end of the day — even if it felt jarring for Cardinals fans to see the Nest transformed.

With the midwestern presence in the Valley — especially this time of year — there was always going to be a split crowd. The environment had a bowl game feel in that sense, and there were plenty of back-and-forth chants on the concourse before introductions.

All parties involved did an admirable job attempting to create a Rams home game from the paint on the field to the in-stadium graphics to the Warren G performance during the third quarter.

“To have an opportunity to do something special, provide something of value for people that are going through a tough time, to pull that out the way we did there, it means a lot,” Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp said.

The NFL announced its decision on Thursday, giving the operations staff the weekend to make preparations. Several signs in the crowd showed support for Los Angeles and the first responders who have gone to battle with the wildfires, with phrases such as “LA Strong” and “Stay Strong LA.”

“This experience has been, bar none, amazing,” Jesus, a fan who made the trip on Sunday, said during a Rams pregame tailgate.

Former Rams star left tackle Andrew Whitworth addressed the crowd pregame, saying “We will rebuild,” before the opening kick off, and QR codes to donate to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation and American Red Cross were placed at each concession stand.

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