Stafford and the Rams Preparing to Fight for LA

The Los Angeles Rams may not be playing their hard-earned home playoff game at SoFi Stadium, but quarterback Matthew Stafford and the Rams still plan on fighting hard for the city of Los Angeles,

Dec 28, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) reacts after the game against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Rams battled back from a 1-4 start to the season to win the NFC West and play a home playoff game. They were on track to reap the benefits of their hard work, until unprecedented wildfires broke out across Los Angeles, forcing the National Football League to relocate their Wild Card matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night.

While the Rams may have lost their home field advantage because of the relocation, Rams head coach Sean McVay noted that the wildfires have put things in perspective for him and his team.

McVay looks at Monday night's game as a chance to represent the city and hopefully be a getaway of sorts for residents of Los Angeles, even if only for a few hours.

"Well, you realize the perspective, and you hate for situations like this to arise," McVay said. "There was something similar that we've been a part of in 2018 with 'LA Together.' You talk about really what sports represents is an opportunity for people to come together and provide a temporary sense of relief from some of the things that they're going through. I am excited about the opportunity for our team to go compete where people can be proud and have a team that represents a lot of the things that are right about sports. I know we're going to prepare to the best of our ability to do that."

Rams' veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford noted similarly that the Rams always take pride in representing Los Angeles, even without a natural disaster taking place, but especially with a natural disaster taking place.

“Every time we suit up, we're the Los Angeles Rams," Stafford said. "We play for the people in this community and the people that support us. This week will be another example of that. I'm sure, hopefully, it’s a great escape for people who have been going through a lot of tough times here in these last couple days, really football all weekend."

The Rams aim to make the best out of a difficult situation by beating the Vikings on Monday night. However, they will have more than a few obstacles to overcome for that to happen.

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