Super Bowl 57 turf called into question during Chiefs vs. Eagles game
Chiefs #Chiefs
The playing surface at State Farm Stadium was once again being called into question.
But this time it was for Super Bowl 57.
“It was definitely subpar for sure, but we have to deal with the situation and the circumstances,” Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Jordan Mailata said.
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FOX showed several players from both teams slipping on the natural grass field during a break in action in the third quarter and reported that some Chiefs players were switching cleats in an attempt to get better traction on the field.
It specifically showed Eagles kicker Jake Elliott falling as he kicked the ball off after his team took a 27-21 lead.
The broadcast also showed people attempting to fix the field during halftime.
“It’s starting to affect everyone,” Greg Olsen said on the Fox broadcast.
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The Chiefs played at State Farm Stadium in Week 1, and the field had been resodded before the game.
After the game, coach Andy Reid blamed the field for leg injuries to a couple of his players, including kicker Harrison Butker.
“It was a little loose. That’s what happens sometimes when you re-sod,” Reid told the Associated Press. “It’s part of the Butker injury and the (Trent) McDuffie injury, and that’s unfortunate. The turf picked up, and I would tell you that did have something to do with it. If it didn’t, I’d tell you that, too. It’s not an excuse by any means.”
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A Cardinals spokesperson later refuted Reid’s claim that the playing surface had something to do with the Chiefs’ injuries, noting it had been replaced on Aug. 22 after preseason was over. He also said the field “is routinely ranked among the best — if not THE best — among NFL players, including in surveys conducted by the NFL (Players Association).”
For the Super Bowl, the NFL paid special attention to the Super Bowl field. The grass was grown at a local sod farm in a process that began in May 2021.
“It’s a long process to get it as heavy, thick and dense as we’ve been talking about,” Nick Pappas, one of the NFL’s field surface directors, told the Associated Press. “We’ve got to make sure it takes its time, cures and gets ready.”
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Both teams got their first experience with the new playing surface during walk-throughs at the stadium on Saturday. That gave them an opportunity to assess the field and what types of footwear would work best. There were no reports from Saturday’s NFL pool reports indicating any concerns about the field.
Butker said after the Super Bowl that players were definitely slipping but he had no issues. He said the following about the field surface earlier this week: “It’s definitely a little weird but I feel like my injury happened when I did a big approach, and I’m not doing that anymore, so I feel really good about it. I was coming at the ball 10, 11 yards away. When you have that much momentum and you’re trying to kick the ball halfway up the uprights, if the grass slides at all then bad things can happen.”
More:Arizona Cardinals respond to Andy Reid’s comment on State Farm Stadium field conditions
Trent McDuffie, who was also injured in the Chiefs’ Week 1 game in Arizona, didn’t think the grass was an issue.
“I don’t feel like it was any different than any other place,” he told reporters this week. “I just think a freak accident happened and my foot slipped, same thing as Harrison, and that’s the other side of the game, it happens.”
McDuffie reclaimed his starting cornerback job after missing seven weeks after his Week 1 injury and has played in every Chiefs game since.
Other players who slipped on the grass Sunday included Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco in the end zone after his third quarter touchdown, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on a third-quarter run and Chiefs punt returner Kadarius Toney, who slid slightly before going 65 yards with a return in the fourth quarter.
“The grass was kind of slippery, but it just takes fundamentals. You know, you put your knees over your toes and you come out of the break how you want,” Toney said.
FOX sideline reporter Tom Rinaldi said half a dozen Eagles players changed their cleats at halftime and the grass is a new breed of turf called Tahoma 31. It was an issue from pregame warmups through the game.
“They were sticking to the ground. I changed before the game,” Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Snead said of his cleats.
“Wore different ones the second half,” Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert said. “The field was tearing up a little bit. But once again, we were playing on the same field as the Chiefs and it really didn’t have a reason on the outcome.”
The Republic’s Jose M. Romero and Mark Faller contributed to this story.
Reach Jeremy Cluff at jeremy.cluff@arizonarepublic.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jeremy_Cluff.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Super Bowl 57 turf called into question during Chiefs vs. Eagles game