Rams roll to emotional victory over the Vikings to advance to divisional round showdown in Philly

The Los Angeles Rams paid tribute Monday night to the first responders and those impacted by the ongoing deadly wildfires in Southern California during the Rams 27-9 wild-card victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

The NFL moved the game from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, the home of the Arizona Cardinals, due to the fire threat.

Before kickoff, the Rams’ mascot, Rampage, along with the Cardinals flag crew, ran onto the field with “LA Together” flags. A moment of silent reflection was later held for the victims of the wildfire prior to the National Anthem being played.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said it was important for the league to support the city of Los Angeles.

“One of the things we wanted to do by playing this game tonight is send that message to the people back in Los Angeles that the NFL, this community, every community in this nation and around the world are there to support them, rooting for them and is going to be part of bringing LA back,” Goodell said in an ESPN interview prior to the contest.

“This will be a celebration, honoring the people who are out there really fighting the fight.”

The Rams donned custom Los Angeles Fire Department hats and shirts with the team logo on them and “Thank You Firefighters and First Responders” banners were displayed in the south end zone.

To make the Rams feel at home, the Cardinals organization painted the field and end zone in the Rams’ blue and yellow colors. Arizona also provided two Boeing 777 planes to pick up 400 Rams players, coaches, personnel, their families and pets, according to the ESPN broadcast.

Goodell said about 45,000 Rams fans made the trip.

Former Rams captain and 2022 Super Bowl champion Andrew Whitworth thanked the first responders and shared an impassioned message to the Los Angeles community.

“I believe in the people of Los Angeles. We are strong. We will not be defined by this devastation,” the 2021 Walter Payton NFL Man of the year told the crowd before the game. “We will rebuild LA hand in hand together, for as long as it takes.”

Rams advance to divisional round with dominant performance

As for the final contest of the wild-card round, the Rams jumped out early, scoring on their first two possessions —a 5-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Matthew Stafford to running back Kyren Williams and on a Joshua Karty 34-yard field goal — to take a 10-0 first quarter lead.

Up 10-3 in the second quarterback, Rams cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon sacked Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold causing him to fumble. Rookie linebacker Jared Verse scooped the ball up and took it 57 yards for the touchdown.

Four minutes later, LA would extend its lead when Stafford threw his second TD of the game, a 13-yarder to tight end Davis Allen.

The Rams’ defense gave Minnesota havoc in the first half as it sacked Darnold six times and forced two turnovers, one resulting in a touchdown. The Rams led 24-3 at the half.

In the fourth quarter, Vikings linebacker Michael Hoecht and rookie defensive tackle Braden Fiske sacked Darnold for the team’s seventh of the game. Afterward, Hoecht honored his city by throwing up the “LA” sign.

Los Angeles would sack Darnold nine times on the night to tie an NFL playoff record.

After the game, Stafford addressed the obstacles the team overcame.

“We knew what we were playing for today. It was go get this win but this is for the people of Los Angeles, struggling right now. It’s unbelievable to watch the whole community, the state, the country get behind them. It’s a tough time to be back there,” Stafford said. “We’re just happy we came out and played like this tonight to give us something to be happy about.”

He added: “It was a tough week for us, a bunch of moving parts. Our organization did a hell of a job taken care of us. … It’s been a whirlwind.”

The Rams will face the Philadelphia Eagles in the divisional round at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.

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