GLENDALE, Ariz. – Dahlen Schnieder knew he’d spend his birthday watching the Vikings.

He didn’t think he’d be doing so in person.

The South Dakota native, who now lives in Phoenix, didn’t have tickets to the game when it was scheduled to be played in Los Angeles.

“Once I got the news, my phone just exploded,” Schnieder, face painted purple and gold, said Monday. “ ‘Well, you got your wish. You got the Vikings here.’ ”

Schnieder is one of the many Vikings fans who traveled varying distances to see them play the Rams in Monday night’s wild-card weekend finale at State Farm Stadium.

What was supposed to be a home game for the fourth-seeded Rams turned into a neutral field.

Inside the stadium, the lower bowl bore a clear divide between Vikings and Rams. The cheers for the Vikings entrance were louder than the boos.