Emotional Matthew Stafford delivers LA rallying cry as he reveals wildfires motivated Rams to playoffs victory
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Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford didn't have to think hard to explain Monday's Wild Card upset of the Minnesota Vikings in Glendale, Arizona. Displaced by the Palisades Fire and the lingering smoke that has led to dangerous air quality levels in LA, the Rams were playing for a grieving city that is still digging itself out from the rubble.
![[The Palisades Fire ravages a neighborhood amid high winds along LA's Pacific coastline]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/14/15/94082855-14255671-image-a-13_1736867723035.jpg)
'Unlike anything I've ever experienced in my tenure playing in the NFL,' Stafford told ESPN's Scott Van Pelt. 'We just know what's going on back home. [We] felt really motivated to play for the people of this city. It's been a hell of a week. We're happy to come out with a win.
![[The quarterback's wife, Kelly, shared a phot of two of their daughters in a hospital bed]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/14/15/94018233-14255671-The_quarterback_s_wife_Kelly_shared_a_phot_of_two_of_their_daugh-a-15_1736867826519.jpg)
'It's honestly hard to wrap my head around the devastation,' he continued. 'I'm a lot like a lot of people around the country, watching the news and seeing these homes reduced to rubble, firefighters doing everything they possibly can to try and fight it back.
![[Matthew Stafford's daughters were hospitalized after making the trip to Arizona this weekend]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/14/15/94018225-14255671-Matthew_Stafford_s_daughters_were_hospitalized_after_making_the_-a-14_1736867822021.jpg)
'Living in those conditions, knowing what that wind felt like, it was unbelievable. I'm proud of the community, proud of the city for the response and hopefully they're proud of us for the way we played tonight.'. More than 90,000 people remained displaced Monday, seven days after multiple wind-driven blazes erupted. At least 24 people have been killed and thousands left without homes, and authorities warned that winds forecast to intensify again on Tuesday could lead to 'extreme fire behavior and life-threatening conditions.'.
