NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league made a last-second decision to move the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings playoff game from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California to State Farm Stadium in Arizona due to the Southern California wildfires.

The move came at short notice as the decision was made on Thursday. Because the game was played on Monday instead of the weekend, teams had an extra day to pack up, get out of standby and head south to play the game while emergency responders scrambled to contain the inferno in the area from Los Angeles to delete.

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (left) speaks with referee John Hussey before an NFL wild card playoff football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Goodell spoke about the unprecedented move in an interview with ESPN.

“What the people of Los Angeles are going through, the devastation, the loss, the heartache that we all feel for them, we knew the game couldn’t be played there until Thursday,” he said. “Public safety and interfering with any of it is not our job. And we wanted to make sure that first responders were focused on taking care of the people who are struggling so much out there.”

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell looks on before an NFL wild card playoff football game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

“When we made this decision, the league came together. We have preparations or so-called contingency plans that include two stadiums a week, and that was a perfect fit as far as location for Los Angeles Rams fans, and I’m proud to say 45,000 of them made the trip here have what is simply extraordinary. Everyone has come together and Michael Bidwell and the Cardinals are at the top of that list.”

Rams fans actually traveled to Glendale, Arizona. The organization even had the field painted in the Rams’ colors and placed the large LA logo in the middle of the field.

Before the game, the Rams were among 12 teams from Los Angeles and Anaheim that announced a joint $8 million donation to those affected by the wildfires.

Los Angeles Rams fans hold a sign before an NFL wild card playoff football game against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025, in Glendale, Arizona. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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The money will go towards supporting the victims and fighting the fire. The American Red Cross, Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, California Fire Foundation, Eaton Canyon Fire Relief and Recovery Fund, World Central Kitchen, California Community Foundation Wildlife Recovery Fund, Team Rubicon and several other local animal rescue organizations were named as beneficiaries of donations .

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