In the NFL, debates around fields aren’t limited to the United States of America. As the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys meet in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, there is a hot topic surrounding the state of the gridiron at Maracana Stadium.
Although Maracana Stadium’s field is 100 percent natural grass, per ESPN, the NFL has made changes to the pitch in hopes of improving its durability. Synthetic fiber stitching and grass repairs have been installed on the pitch, though only days before the Week 3 matchup between Baltimore and Dallas, adding another headache of its own to a playing field that has already been through a lot over the years.
The gardeners at Maracana Stadium certainly don’t need to be reminded about that. When the Ravens and Cowboys go head-to-head in Brazil’s Marvelous City, they might face a hurdle of its own, with the field raising eyebrows. Fans attending Week 3’s matchup between the Cowboys and Ravens may not care about that, though.
Grass struggles at Maracana
According to reports from ESPN, the staff in charge of the grass at Maracana Stadium were still mowing and trimming the playing field on Saturday, hours before kickoff between the Cowboys and Ravens.
Close look of the grass at Maracana Stadium.
The high grass has been a topic of discussion for weeks in Brazil. Home to two soccer clubs, Flamengo and Fluminense, the field is under duress, with barely any rest as the two sides mean there is at least one game played every week.
It happened before when the NFL hosted games in Brazil, with players constantly slipping when the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers played in Sao Paulo. Experts fear it might happen again at Maracana Stadium, as the high natural grass could disrupt Baltimore and Dallas’ habits. Whoever settles in better to the foreign conditions might just be the team that walks out of Rio de Janeiro victorious.
Baltimore might have the upper hand
According to Sporting News, the split between natural grass and turf fields in the NFL is exactly 50-50. The Ravens happen to be one of the franchises that play on a natural grass surface, while the Cowboys have artificial grass at AT&T Stadium. Perhaps that turns out to be a difference-maker as two evenly matched teams meet at a neutral site thousands of miles away from home.
Key takeaways
- The NFL installed synthetic fiber stitching to improve pitch durability at Maracana Stadium.
- Ground staff were trimming the grass hours before kickoff between Baltimore and Dallas.
- The Baltimore Ravens may hold an advantage playing on natural grass over the Cowboys.
