Sunday’s London game was played on an artificial surface that created some concerns, but that nevertheless passed inspection.
The concern centered on seams in the field, and (as one source put it) deep dips near those seams.
The NFL Players Association confirmed the concern, but noted that the field was approved by the joint NFL-NFLPA process. The NFL has provided PFT with a statement about the turf.
“The field surface at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is prepared and maintained by NFL field managers who specialize in both artificial and natural grass playing surfaces,” the NFL said. “The field was inspected by those field managers, as well as the independent field inspector and the NFL Players Association field consultant. All requirements, as agreed upon between the NFL and the NFL Players Association, were met and in compliance with our mandatory standards and practices.”
It will be interesting to see if any of the players express concerns about the field during the post-game media scrum. During the broadcast of the Giants-Packers game, it was mentioned that Green Bay left tackle David Bakhtiari was playing in alternating series, possibly due to the flight to London or the turf.