San Francisco 49ers To Play ‘Home Games’ In Arizona At Cardinals Actual Home Stadium
The San Francisco 49ers announced they will be hosting their next home games against the Buffalo Bills and Washington Football Team in Arizona.
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The 49ers partnered with the NFL and the Arizona Cardinals to play the games at State Farm Stadium, the home of the Cardinals home football games
“The Cardinals organization, State Farm Stadium and League officials have been supportive and accommodating as we work through the many logistical issues involved in relocating NFL games,” the 49ers said in a statement.
The 49ers find the need to play their home games away from home because, according to the 49ers, Santa Clara implemented “COVID-19 restrictions”: “According to the county, contact sports, including those involving professional leagues, have been temporarily prohibited, as well as a 14-day quarantine for anyone traveling into the area from 150 miles away as Coronavirus cases continue to surge in Bay Area counties.”
49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said you always expect bumps in the road, no matter what you’re doing.
“The biggest bump is the shock of finding out how long it was a day before we played,” Shanahan said per the 49ers. “I think our guys are pretty good once they heard the parameters of stuff and adjusting and just dealing with whatever, especially this year. And we’re used to getting away for a week or so, but I can’t tell you how sick of each other we are after a week in a hotel. Usually that week is good and we play better, but then after that week, guys need to get home.”
Shanahan said a week’s “not the daunting thing” but that it’s December that players get “a little overwhelmed with.”
“I’m just trying to get guys to not think of it that way, even though the dates say that,” Shanahan said according to the 49ers. “I’m just trying to take it one week at a time.”
But, Shanahan is saying Arizona is actually the best scenario for the team.
“The best scenario for us and the most convenient for us right now with the situation presented is just getting out to Arizona, there’s a good setup there,” Shanahan said per ESPN. “The Cardinals have been awesome with us, everyone out there has been awesome with us. I do believe we have a really good setup there to make the best of it, and that’s where we’ll play our games, too.”
From The Bay to the Valley: The 49ers and Cardinals Twitter is making the most of it, trying to make light of what is a difficult situation, uprooting for at least two home games away from home.
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