-Ed-Mulholland-USA-TODAY-Sports-22
(New York, NY) – With another NFL season in the books, it’s disappointing to hear both teams say the Super Bowl playing surface was subpar.
Even during Super Bowl LVII, it was apparent there was an issue of some kind, as players were clearly struggling with their footing. Reports started to emerge that players were also changing cleats, and switching to longer spikes.
Now, some are speaking out – although members of the Philadelphia Eagles aren’t using it as an excuse, and Kansas City Chiefs players also say the playing surface was poor.
Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert disclosed he switched cleats at halftime. He explains the field was “tearing up a little bit,” before noting the Chiefs had to deal with the same thing.
Nfl Super Bowl Lvii Kansas City Chiefs Vs Philadelphia Eagles
Kansas City defensive lineman Frank Clark called the field, “kind of terrible,” and noted he’s experienced that in Arizona before – where the Super Bowl was held.
Reports indicate the grass was specifically grown for the Super Bowl over months time, and was rolled out into the sun for periods of time. Arizona’s State Farm Stadium features a sliding track field that can move out into the open air, allowing grass to grow.
Two Eagles lineman have been most vocal in their complaints regarding the playing surface. Standout pass rusher Haason Reddick – who previously played in Arizona for the Cardinals – called it the worst field he’s ever played on.
“I’m not going to lie it was the worst field that I’ve ever played on. …It was very disappointing, it’s the NFL. You would think it would be better so we could get some better play, but it is what it is.”
Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata compared it to playing in a water park.
“The footing? It was terrible,” he said. “But the Kansas City Chiefs had to play on it, too. It was just slick. You couldn’t anchor. You had to get your whole foot in the ground. If you try and use just your toe, you’d slip right away. You saw the receivers — it was like a water park out there. And we’re playing on grass.”
As for the game itself, as stated, no one is blaming the final result on the field.
But Eagles’ wide receiver AJ Brown revealed he was convinced the team was going to lose toward the end of the third quarter, when Philly settled for a field goal to go up 27 to 21.
That left Kansas City within a TD of tying the game, which they ultimately did on a Pat Mahomes to Kadarius Toney pass – taking their first lead of the game with the successful two point conversion.
