EAGAN, Minn. – Monday night's Wild Card game between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams will be played in Arizona, the NFL announced Thursday.
The postseason contest initially was scheduled for SoFi Stadium, as the Rams won the NFC West division to earn home-field advantage for the first round. The decision to relocate was not taken lightly and is being made considering the multiple wildfires that have left chaos and destruction in their wake.
A high-power windstorm rapidly spread the fires that started Tuesday morning, engulfing more than 3,000 acres and 1,000 structures by Wednesday afternoon.
The fires did not reach SoFi Stadium or cause any damage in the immediate area, but thick, billowing smoke has resulted in dangerously low air quality.
The NFL and NFLPA worked together to relocate the game to State Farm Stadium, which is located 376 miles east of Inglewood, California.
This is not the first time an NFL game has been relocated due to weather conditions; and as Vikings fans know, it's not even the first time — or second time — a Vikings game has been relocated for that reason.
In 2010, two of the Vikings scheduled home games were displaced after the Dec. 11 Metrodome roof collapse. Minnesota's game against the Giants was initially slated for Sunday, Dec. 12, but was rescheduled to Monday night at Ford Field in Detroit. The following week, the Vikings hosted their game against the Bears at the University of Minnesota.
They likely thought they dodged any additional changes with a Dec. 26 game scheduled at Philadelphia, but an impending East Coast blizzard postponed that matchup to Tuesday night; it at least remained in Philly.
The Vikings also had a game relocated in 1969, though not due to weather. That matchup with the Packers was moved to Memorial Stadium at the U of M because of the MLB playoffs and the fact the Vikings shared Metropolitan Stadium with the Twins.
Other games over NFL history have been relocated due to hurricane damage, snowstorms and an earthquake. Postponements have taken place for the same reasons, as well as venue conflicts or national tragedies (the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and the 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy).
There have been playoff games postponed due to weather, most recently last season's Wild Card matchup between the Steelers and Bills that was rescheduled from Sunday to Monday in Buffalo because of a snowstorm. During the 2016 postseason, the Chiefs-Steelers Divisional game was postponed a day for the same reason.
But to the best of this writer's knowledge (and after significant research), I believe the upcoming Vikings-Rams contest will mark the first time an NFL playoff game is relocated since 1936. That year, the Green Bay Press-Gazette wrote the following about the NFL Championship Game:
The Green Bay Packers will play the Boston Redskins for the championship of the National Professional Football League at the Polo Grounds, New York, next Sunday afternoon, Coach E. L. Lambeau announced today.
[…]
The game has been scheduled for New York instead of Boston because the Redskins have received poor patronage from their hometown fans, and the Packers draw well at the Polo Grounds. All things considered, it is believed that the New York game will produce more revenue, and as most of the money goes directly to the players, a large crowd is desired.
The Packers won the championship 21-6 in front of 29,545.
