The Los Angeles Rams began the week with the expectation of practicing at their facility from Thursday to Saturday before hosting the Minnesota Vikings at SoFi Stadium for Monday’s playoff game. The devastating wildfires in L.A. altered those plans dramatically, forcing the Rams to not only play the game in Arizona, but also move their final day of practice to the Cardinals’ facility in Tempe.
Players and coaches had to evacuate their homes, staff members were affected by the fires and everyone has had to adapt to incredibly difficult circumstances. As concerned as Sean McVay is for those impacted in L.A., he’s not worried about his team being ready to go on Monday night.
He says the Rams are “built for this.”
“I think our group’s built for this unique situation,” he said. “I think all the things that we’ve been through this year, this group is built for this. We’re looking forward to going and competing on Monday.”
So what makes the Rams a team capable of overcoming it all and winning a playoff game? McVay says they’ve been through a lot during the season that’s prepared them for this moment, even with their hearts heavy due to the destruction back home.
“A lot of the things just sometimes organically occur. I think it was just something that you feel. I think the things that always resonate are when they’re authentic,” he said. “I always try to speak in terms of what’s applicable for that situation and it is. I think our guys understood that. I think they agreed with what my thoughts were. Every thought is collective. I do believe that in spite of how unfortunate a lot of these different things are, this group is built to be able to handle different forms of adversity and overcome, which they’ve done. We’re looking forward to doing that this week.”
The Rams would have loved to play in front of their home crowd at SoFi Stadium, but they’re taking everything in stride and doing their best to make State Farm Stadium feel like their own. From field paint to rally towels in the stands, the Rams are making the best of a challenging circumstance.
