The Los Angeles Rams paid tribute to the city’s firefighters and first responders as they beat the Minnesota Vikings to clinch the last spot in week two of the NFL play-offs.
The Rams earned home advantage for the final game of Wildcard Weekend but Monday’s game had to be relocated to State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals, because of wildfires around LA that have killed at least 24 people.
Yet it still felt like a home game as the Rams romped to a 27-9 win against a Vikings team that failed to recover after being denied the number one seed in the NFC Conference last week.
The Rams sold more than 52,000 tickets for the 63,000-capacity venue in Phoenix, which is a six-hour, 375-mile drive from SoFi Stadium.
A Rams contingent of more than 400 – including players, family, coaches, staff and even pets – travelled on Friday and the team had use of the Cardinals’ training facility.
Having secured the NFC West title, the Rams were able to rest their key starters on the final day of the regular season while the Vikings suffered a demoralising loss at the Detroit Lions.
And it showed as the Rams charged into a 24-3 lead by half-time, with Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold being sacked six times and giving up two turnovers.
“We knew what we were playing for,” said Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. “That was for the people of Los Angeles who are struggling right now.
“We’re living it every day. It was a tough week for us, a bunch of moving parts. It’s been a whirlwind, but to come out here and play like we did, in all phases, I’m really proud of this group.”
