Sean McVay, Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams dedicated their playoff victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night to the “people at home” amid the tragic wildfires in Southern California.
The NFL made the decision last week to move Monday’s game from SoFi Stadium almost 400 miles away to State Farm Stadium in Arizona due to the ongoing spread of the fires.
It prompted an inspired performance from McVay’s Rams as they sacked Sam Darnold a playoff-record nine times on the way to a 27-9 win, setting up a Divisional Round matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles next week.
“We knew we weren’t just playing for us,” said Stafford. “We were playing for people back home who needed something to watch and enjoy.”
Stafford threw two touchdown passes to Kyren Williams and Davis Allen on the night, Defensive Rookie of the Year favourite Jared Verse scored a 57-yard fumble return touchdown, Cobie Durant recorded a sack and an interception and Kobie Turner hauled down Darnold twice amid a rampant display.
It served as the latest reminder of the Rams’ unsung postseason threat after producing a decisive five-game winning streak in December – including a 44-42 statement victory over the Buffalo Bills – on the way to clinching the NFC West division title.
“With everything that’s going on with our community, everything that these guys have gone through, I thought they epitomised and represented the city the right way,” said head coach McVay.
“You talk about sports offering a platform for people to offer a little bit of temporary relief, and I thought the way our team competed tonight was what it looked like.
“To stay connected, to stay together, just the fight and resilience and all the different things that are great traits this team has really built through the challenges that they’ve gone through over the course of this season. I’m really proud of them. I’m excited to be able to move forward.”
Rams players wore shirts and hats printed with LAFD (Los Angeles Fire Department) during pre-game warm-ups and will be auctioning off gear in aid of American Red Cross.
“We had the city on our back this week,” said defensive lineman Turner. “I’m glad we were able to pick up a dub. McVay has been talking to us all week about the fact how we are built for this.
“Everything that we’ve gone through from this season up until now has prepared us for this exact moment.”
The Rams will face the Eagles in the Divisional Round at 8pm Sunday, live on Sky Sports NFL.