Sources Re Air Quality: Cowboys Plan To 'Stay & Play' In LA vs. Rams
While health concerns have been raised as the NFL is monitoring the air quality in Southern California ahead of Sunday night's Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams season-opener at the new SoFi Stadium, the Cowboys' early-morning information is that the league is determining that the hazard is presently not great enough to threaten a chance in plans for the 7:20 p.m. CT kickoff on "Sunday Night Football.
As one NFL source put it to CowboysSI.com, the Cowboys plan is to "stay and play'' in L.A.
The NFL has considered a possibility of a change in the start time for the nationally-televised game due to California wildfires (largely in Northern California) that has put enough smoke into the atmosphere to render the air as dangerous to breathe.
Most of those fires are in Northern California, though there are also "Bobcat fires'' ranging in parts of Southern California - though not necessarily in the area where the new SoFi Stadium, ready for its debut as the site of the game, is located.
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The NFL has already dealt with another major health concern, having taken steps to start its season - even without the normal offseason, normal training camps and normal preseason games - with safety measures in place to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. One of those alterations: There will be no fans in the stands at SoFi on Sunday.
The Cowboys, who left on Saturday for their trip to the West Coast, have been aware of the situation, CowboysSI.com is told - a situation that NFL Network speculated in a worst-case scenario could cause the game to be delayed, maybe even beyond Sunday evening to later in the week, or possibly be moved to a different location. The Rams have acknowledging the possibility of a delay, but were obviously not in favor of changing the venue.
But as of early Sunday morning, and pending another disastrous turn, the Dallas Cowboys plan is to "stay and play'' in L.A.
