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Roger Goodell Sends Message of Support to Los Angeles Before Rams-Vikings Game

Goodell said playing the game sent a message to Los Angeles that the NFL is there for them.

Ryan Phillips

Roger Goodell and Joe Buck before the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings play in the wild card round of the NFL playoffs.
Roger Goodell and Joe Buck before the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings play in the wild card round of the NFL playoffs. / Via ESP
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The NFL intends to honor the victims of and first responders to the Los Angeles wildfires during Monday night's wild-card round playoff game.

Before the Los Angeles Rams and Minnesota Vikings faced off at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., NFL commissioner Roger Goodell sent a message of support to the city of Los Angeles.

Talking to Joe Buck on ESPN's before kickoff, Goodell discussed the decision to play the game as scheduled despite the fires wreaking havoc in the Rams' home city.

"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, this nation and around the world are there to support them," Goodell said.

The Rams are playing a home game on the road, as the Arizona Cardinals stepped up to provide them a venue to play the game with SoFi Stadium sitting in the shadow of the devastating fires in LA. The team has attempted to make the stadium look and feel as much like home as possible.

Los Angeles will be front of mind during Monday night's game.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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