LOS ANGELES — It’s not often that an NFL head coach gets a text from an opponent checking in on him the week of a playoff game. But Rams head coach Sean McVay received messages from his Minnesota Vikings counterpart Kevin O’Connell and Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips, both former Rams staffers, checking in on him in the wake of the fires that have ravaged Los Angeles County this week. “It’s one of those deals that almost doesn’t feel real,” McVay said, “but it certainly is real to the people that are affected. Praying that as many people are OK.” As McVay walked away from the podium following his Thursday press conference, a plume of smoke was visible south of the Rams’ practice field in Woodland Hills, rising from Sullivan Canyon as helicopters and planes went to work putting out a new flareup. Such has been life in Los Angeles this week. McVay said that, beyond power outages and some evacuation warnings, Rams players and coaches have largely been unaffected, though a few team employees’ homes had been impacted by the fires. Quarterback Matthew Stafford was among those whose home lost power, and he said he and his family were considering their options if an evacuation order did come in Tuesday night. “It’s a tough thing to watch on the news, to drive around, to see,” Stafford said. “It’s just really sad to see what’s going on. Obviously, a bunch of people doing everything they possibly can to try and get things under control and get people back to their normal as quickly as possible. But feeling for a bunch of people that have been affected all across the city.” RELATED: The latest news on the fires in Southern California But for the time being, the Rams (10-7) are plugging along ahead of their Monday wild-card game against the Vikings (14-3), including Thursday’s practice. VP of medicine Reggie Scott and chief of staff Carter Crutchfield have monitored air quality, McVay said, and determined it was safe for players to practice Thursday. If air quality becomes an issue, the Rams would consider moving practice to SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Whether or not that would be the only use of their home stadium this weekend remains to be seen. The NFL on Wednesday announced its contingency plan to play the game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., if the conditions aren’t met for the teams to play at SoFi Stadium, though that remains the likeliest location for the game. “We’re operating with the full expectation that that’s where we’re going to play,” McVay said. “We’d like to be able to play the game at home in front of our fans. That’s the way that we’re operating. But what I can’t do is I can’t control exactly when that final decision will be made. I think the most important thing is let’s hopefully get this situation that’s bigger than football under control as quickly as possible.” Because it is a playoff game, the decision on whether to move the venue lies solely with the NFL and commissioner Roger Goodell. He would likely have to make that call by Saturday, to allow the teams to travel to Arizona on Sunday ahead of the Monday night kickoff. Two factors would weigh heavily on that decision: air quality in the open-air SoFi Stadium, and the availability of first responders to provide support from a security and health perspective for the game. Related Articles Los Angeles Rams | NFL announces contingency plan for Rams-Vikings game in wake of wildfires Los Angeles Rams | Alexander: Rams’ playoff history with Vikings was brutal Los Angeles Rams | Alexander: Rams’ Sean McVay will match wits with former assistant in Vikings’ O’Connell Los Angeles Rams | Rams’ preparations for playoff opener vs. Vikings begin in earnest Los Angeles Rams | Rams playoff primer: An early look at the Minnesota Vikings “Commissioner Goodell does a great job of understanding the platform the NFL has while also understanding that this is bigger than the game of football,” McVay said. “So without taking away from our ability to be able to get this situation under control and contained with the people that are instrumental in doing that, that has been something.” As the Rams took the field for practice, the smoke from the Kenneth fire emerged on the horizon. “Once you get in here, there’s plenty of football to think about,” Stafford said. “I know when guys leave here, there’s things that guys are having to figure out at home or go through or people to think about. While we’re here, it’s full focus, 100% on the Vikings and the challenges that they present. But we’re also human beings and care for the people of our community.”