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All the Numbers Behind the Cardinals' Makeover to Host Rams Home Playoff Game

Arizona is going the extra mile to aid a division rival this weekend.

Tom Dierberger

A general view of the game between the Cardinals and Patriots during the second half at State Farm Stadium.
A general view of the game between the Cardinals and Patriots during the second half at State Farm Stadium. / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
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The Arizona Cardinals are playing hosts this week for a divisional rival, as the Los Angeles Rams' wild-card round matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night was moved from SoFi Stadium to State Farm Stadium due to wildfires in the Los Angeles area.

Arizona sent two planes over to Los Angeles on Friday to help the Rams, their families and a few pets make the trip to the desert. But that's not all.

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Rams' equipment arrived at the Cardinals' facility at 12:30 a.m. Saturday morning. The Cardinals' equipment staff worked until 3:30 a.m. handling and setting up their gear at the training facility in Tempe, Ariz.

In order to make room for the Rams' full roster of players, the Cardinals' staff emptied 74 lockers for the team to use this weekend. Los Angeles star receiver Puka Nacua, for example, is taking over rookie phenom Marvin Harrison Jr.'s locker in preparation for the wild-card game.

Arizona also prepared food to feed about 60,000 people in attendance at State Farm Stadium on Monday night, bringing in a truck that included about 10,000 hot dogs. The Cardinals also painted the field, hauling 1,500 gallons of paint from Mississippi to Arizona to make the field look exactly like the gridiron at SoFi Stadium.

The wild-card matchup between the Rams and Vikings is scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. ET Monday night. And when it does kick off, State Farm Stadium will resemble SoFi Stadium as much as it can.

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Tom Dierberger
TOM DIERBERGER

Tom Dierberger is a staff writer and editor on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in November 2023 after stints at FOX Sports, Bally Sports and NBC Sports. Dierberger has a bachelor's in communication from St. John's University. In his spare time, he can be seen throwing out his arm while playing fetch with his dog, Walter B. Boy.

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