The Dallas Cowboys game against the Baltimore Ravens will go on as planned in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday.
The international regular-season at Maracanã Stadium had come under scrutiny because of concerns regarding the playing fields.
NFL field director Nick Pappas told ESPN that there are “no concerns right now.”
“Look, there’s the realities of managing any playing surface and then there’s also the realities of managing a grass playing surface that’s being used midseason,” Pappas said. “So it’s all about monitoring it. It’s all about having a plan in place and then being able to react to anything that maybe comes our way.”
“So what we’ve seen in Rio is a significant amount of rainfall, a record kind of rainfall over the last six weeks. And that obviously poses challenges just from a management perspective, but nothing that we’re not capable of managing or prepared to take.”
There was never any talk about moving the game, despite concerns raised by soccer players in Brazil about the surface.
Agustin Rossi, goalie for the Flamengo Football Club. said this to the local media last week: “It’s unbelievable that we’re playing on a field like this. Both penalty areas are bad as [expletive]. “If you look at it, there are bumps everywhere. There’s still going to be an NFL game here during the international break. After that game, I hope the field is in better shape.”
Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said NFL has looked it over and it’s full speed ahead for the game.
“I don’t have concerns only because the league has said full speed ahead,” Stephen Jones said. “If there was a real concern, there would have already been contingency plans being made. I know how the league works, about where we play the game if it weren’t there, and there’s none of that. So, I think we’re full speed ahead.”
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer offered a similar sentiment. And he said the concerns about the surface will not impact decisions on whether previously injured players will return for the game.
“No concerns,” Schottenheimer said. “The NFL has people down there. They said we’re going to be fine. So I have zero concerns about it. So we look forward to the trip. Everything that we’re hearing from the league sounds like it’s great.”
