Yes, there are concerns about the quality of the field at Maracaña Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where the Ravens and Cowboys are due to play next Sunday. And the NFL is aware of the situation.
From rain to a significant number of soccer matches (with one more happening on Sunday), there are potential problems. The NFL is taking steps, we’re told, to ensure that the field will be ready to host the game in only eight days.
The clock is ticking. After Sunday’s soccer game, the league will need to decide fairly quickly whether the field will be suitable for the Week 3 contest. If there’s a chance it won’t be, the only prudent thing to do would be to move it.
With the Cowboys serving as the home team for the game, the obvious alternative would be to move the game to Dallas. A quick decision will need to be made.
The overriding question is whether the NFL’s international obsession will tip the scales toward rolling the dice on proceeding. Regardless of the enhanced physical risk that a substandard field may present to the players.
Eight years ago, the NFL scrapped a Chiefs-Rams game set for Mexico City and moved it to L.A., due to issues with the field.
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