Former Los Angeles Rams star Andrew Whitworth rallied the home team's crowd in Arizona Monday night.
With the Rams hosting the Minnesota Vikings at State Farm Stadium, home of the Cardinals, due to the ongoing Los Angeles-area wildfires, Whitworth gave a motivational speech before kickoff.
"I believe in the people of Los Angeles," Whitworth said. "We are strong. We will not be defined by this devastation. We will rebuild L.A. hand in hand together. For as long as it takes, for whatever it takes."
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Here's Whitworth's full minute-long message:
"We are strong. We will not be defined by this devastation. We will rebuild L.A. hand in hand together.”
— ESPN (@espn) January 14, 2025
–Andrew Whitworth’s pregame message rallying the LA community pic.twitter.com/FhTY987uZX
A moment of silence for the victims and those affected was held before kickoff, as has been done throughout the weekend's contests.
Whitworth, 43, spent five seasons with the Rams from 2017 to 2021 and helped win a Super Bowl in what turned out to be his final game before retirement. He's now a broadcaster, most often seen on the Amazon Prime Video crew for Thursday games.
NFL
State Farm Stadium is nearly 400 miles away from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. The NFL decided last week it would relocate the game to Arizona due to public safety, making it the first league postseason game to be moved to a new venue.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was also in attendance.
Usually a red atmosphere, the stadium did the most it could to welcome thousands of Rams fans to the venue. Los Angeles fans tailgated by the thousands, with both end zones being painted in the team's blue and yellow color scheme. The Rams logo was also painted at midfield.
Fans entering the stadium were also greeted with Rams towels. A “Thank You Firefighters and First Responders” and an “LA Together” banner were also on display in the stands.
If the Rams progress to the divisional round, they will travel to the Philadelphia Eagles. They would only host a playoff game if they beat Philadelphia and the Washington Commanders upset the Detroit Lions. The Chargers were eliminated in the wild card round.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.