LA fires: Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay dedicate Los Angeles Rams win to ‘people back home’ | NFL news
Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams dedicated their playoff victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night to “the people back home” amid the tragic wildfires in Southern California.
The NFL made the decision last week to move Monday’s game from SoFi Stadium, nearly 400 miles away, to State Farm Stadium in Arizona because of the continuing spread of the fire.
That fueled an inspired performance by McVay’s Rams as they sacked Sam Darnold a playoff-record nine times en route to a 27-9 victory, setting up a Divisional Round matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles next week.
We knew we weren’t just playing for ourselves, Stafford said. “We played for people at home who needed to watch something and enjoy it.”
Stafford threw two touchdown passes that night to Kyren Williams and Davis Allen, Defensive Rookie of the Year favorite Jared Verse had a 57-yard punt return touchdown, Cobie Durant recorded a sack and an interception, and Kobie Turner overthrew Darnold twice amid a rampant display.
It served as the latest reminder of the Rams’ unprecedented postseason threat after they went on a decisive five-game winning streak in December — including a 44-42 win over the Buffalo Bills — en route to the NFC West division title.
“With everything that’s going on with our community, everything these guys have been through, I thought they were a symbol and represented the city in the right way,” head coach McVay said.
“You talk about a sport that offers a platform for people to offer a little bit of temporary relief, and I thought the way our team competed tonight showed that.
“Staying connected, staying together, just fighting and resilience and all the different things that are great traits that this team has really built through the challenges that they’ve been through this season. I’m really proud. I’m excited to move forward.”
Rams players wore LAFD (Los Angeles Fire Department) T-shirts and hats during pregame warmups and will auction off the gear to benefit the American Red Cross.
“We had the city on our backs this week,” defensive tackle Turner said. “I’m glad we were able to pick up the dubbing. McVay talked to us all week about how we were made for this.
“Everything we’ve been through this season has prepared us for this very moment.”
The Rams will face the Eagles in the Divisional Round on Sunday at 8 p.m., live Sky Sports NFL.
