Matt Leinart Praises NFL For Moving Rams Game Out Of L.A., 'Smart Thing To Do'

Matt Leinart's glad the NFL moved the Rams' playoff game out of Los Angeles ... making it clear to TMZ Sports on Friday, it wouldn't have been right to play the tilt as fires continue to ravage the city.

The league officially relocated Monday's L.A. vs. Minnesota Wild Card round matchup to Arizona on Thursday, citing the safety of its players and its fans ... and Leinart told us at LAX he's all for the move.

The former quarterback -- who actually played his college ball in L.A. and then parts of his pro career in Glendale, Ariz. -- said things are simply "more important than football" at the moment.

"The safety and kind of what everyone's going through here, it's obviously a lot of devastation," he said. "So I think it's the smart thing to do."

It's, of course, a bummer for the Rams and their fans ... as the NFC West champions should have been rewarded with an opening-round home game for all of their successes in the 2024-25 campaign.

But, Leinart said the guys should be able to handle the 370-mile trip ... telling us, "they're professionals, they'll figure it out. They'll be all right."