Cowboys-Ravens Week 3 international game in Brazil proceeding as scheduled despite concerns over field
· Yahoo Sports
Sunday’s Week 3 international NFL matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracanã Stadium is expected to proceed as scheduled despite concerns about the facility’s grass playing surface.
The NFL addressed rumblings that the game might be moved because of the field’s condition and dispelled that notion.
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“The league is looking forward to Sunday’s game in Rio,” a spokesman for the league said, via The Athletic. “As with all international games, we have a plan in place to ensure a high-quality playing surface.”
Cowboys co-owner and executive vice president Stephen Jones echoed the NFL’s assertion during his weekly appearance on Dallas’ 105.3 The Fan.
CR Flamengo goalkeeper Agustin Rossi has been critical about the field conditions at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. (Photo by Nayra Halm/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images)Sports Press Photo via Getty Images“I don’t have concerns only because the league has said full speed ahead,” Jones told hosts Kevin Hageland and Blake Elliott. “ I think if there was a real concern, there would have already been contingent plans being made.”
“Whatever work needs to be done on the field to make sure that it’s safe and great for our players,” he added. “No one understands that more than the league, that we’ve got to have great surfaces and great playing fields that are very safe for our players.”
The grass surface at Maracanã Stadium has been criticized in recent weeks by players from CR Flamengo, which plays its home games at the arena.
“It’s unbelievable that we’re playing on a field like this,” Flamengo goalkeeper Agustin Rossi said, via Brazilian sports site ge. “Both penalty areas are bad as [expletive]. If you look at it, there are bumps everywhere.”
Teammate Giorgian De Arrascaeta also voiced outrage over the field conditions at their home stadium.
“We’ve been struggling a lot in these last few games, and the field keeps getting worse,” the Flamengo midfielder said. “It’s getting harder and harder to control the ball. We have to try to play quickly.”
In early August, Brazilian reporter Felipe Lawrence said on X, “The Maracanã pitch doesn't seem right to me with less than two months to go until the NFL game there.”
There is precedence for moving an international game due to field concerns. In 2018, the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams were scheduled to play in Mexico City. But when the surface at Estadio Azteca was deemed unsafe for players, the game was moved to the L.A. Coliseum.
Following the Cowboys’ 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Dallas head coach Brian Schottenheimer said “I have no concerns” when asked about the field conditions in Brazil.
Team owner Jerry Jones said that he hadn’t received an update from the NFL but would “stay informed” while confident that the league would make sure the playing surface was at its best.
Both the Cowboys and Ravens (1-1) plan to leave for Brazil on Thursday and practice on Friday.