The Ravens-Cowboys game at Maracanå Stadium in Rio de Janeiro raised red flags regarding the quality of the field. The NFL mobilized to make the playing surface satisfactory for the game.
By all appearances, the turf wasn’t an issue. (There was much more slipping and sliding in Denver, after it rained during the Rams-Broncos game.) The passing grade on a test that never should be failed has understandably led to limited coverage of the fact that the field wasn’t a cluster of something other than grass.
Yes, there are some stories out there declaring that the field wasn’t an issue. The issue should never be an issue. The field is like a long snapper. It should only be noticed when it’s not doing its job properly, and there should never be a nagging concern that the long snapper will do anything other than deliver the ball accurately and reliably.
That said, Cowboys safety Caleb Downs had some criticism for the surface.
“It was good at the beginning of the game, but at the end of the game it was pretty much just dirt out there,” Downs said, via Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News. “I can’t make excuses about it, so we still have to go and do our jobs.”
One source on the scene called the field “aesthetically unappealing,” comparing it to a “patchy lawn.” The source said it posed no significant health risks to the players, but that it was below the standard that the NFL should expect for its games.
That’s the bottom line. The NFL has set a high bar for itself. The field on Sunday fell short of it. While no players were injured because of it and it didn’t affect the integrity of the game, concerns about the quality of the field should never become a story. Because the quality of an NFL playing field should never be in doubt.
