The Rams and Chargers are discussing their stadium options for the rest of the season should they be forced out of the Los Angeles area because of COVID-19 restrictions, Yahoo Sports reported.
Last week, Santa Clara County banned pro and college teams from practicing or playing games, forcing the San Francisco 49ers to play their home games in Arizona. Now, with COVID-19 cases continuing to rise in Southern California, the Rams and Chargers need a backup to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. The home stadiums of the Las Vegas Raiders and Dallas Cowboys have been mentioned as potential home sites for the two Los Angeles teams.
A regional stay-at-home order could take effect in Southern California as soon as next week, depending on availability of intensive-care unit beds. If that happens, all non-essential travel will be banned.
Los Angeles County broke a record on Thursday for daily coronavirus cases with 7,713.
“The bottom line is if we don’t act now, our hospital system will be overwhelmed,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said Thursday in a news conference. “If we don’t act now, we’ll continue to see our death rate climb (and have) more lives lost.” SoFi Stadium opened this season and has yet to host fans. The teams have a combined six games left on their home schedules.
The Rams (7-4) are scheduled to host the New England Patriots (Dec. 10), New York Jets (Dec. 20) and Arizona Cardinals (Jan. 3). The Chargers (3-8) close with the Patriots (Dec. 6), Atlanta Falcons (Dec. 13) and Denver Broncos (Dec. 27).
–Field Level Media (@FieldLevelMedia)