Here’s what Chiefs, Chargers players said about the divot-filled field in Mexico City
The divots were noticeable up close and far away, in person and on a national television broadcast Monday night.
Within a matter of the first few plays of the Chiefs and Chargers’ game in Mexico City, the playing surface inside Estadio Azteca was a talking point, only one year after it forced the NFL to relocate a game.
It wasn’t great, players said after the Chiefs’ 24-17 win.
But it wasn’t nearly as problematic as it appeared to be.
“I feel like it wasn’t that much of a factor,” Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu said. “Maybe it was a little bit slick, but we play in snow; we play in ran; we play in different conditions.
“I felt like it was fine. I didn’t have any complaints about it.”
One year ago, the league canceled its plans to have the Chiefs and Rams play in Mexico City. The field wasn’t suitable for an NFL game. Wasn’t safe for its players.
In its agreement with stadium and Mexican government officials to return one year later, the NFL hired a consultant to check on the field often. The surface — intended for soccer — was completely replaced and changed to natural grass this summer. And Televisa, which owns Estadio Azteca, agreed to lighten the load in the weeks and months leading up to the game.
The two teams received positive reports as they headed for Mexico City, with Chiefs owner Clark Hunt saying, “It’s in much better condition than it was last year.”
That proved true.
But to what measure? It depended on the player you asked. To a man, they described the surface as soft. Sometimes it played slippery.
But perhaps it was not the danger it might have seemed.
“Grass conditions was good to me,” Chargers edge rusher Melvin Ingram said. “I didn’t slip one time. I feel like it was good. I feel like overall the whole setup was good.”
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers described the grass as “different” but said it “held up all night.”
It’s all about perspective.
Chiefs lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was among those vocally critical of the surface. “It was disgusting,” he said, adding, “I’ve never seen something like that.”
Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill added, “It was kinda different, almost like it was kind of wet. A couple times my feet left me, but I was just out there playing. You just gotta try to keep your feet.”
Chiefs wide receiver Byron Pringle didn’t. Once, anyway. As he slipped trying to reverse field in the first half, it fueled speculation that the field would play a major factor in the game’s outcome.
But Pringle didn’t blame the field. His shoulder placement was the culprit, he said. In fact, there were aspects of the surface he actually liked.
“I liked it, but I like soft grass like that,” Pringle said. “It was slippery, but I like it. I can plant, and I can drive on it. I can get out of breaks faster. I bend low a lot, so I like it. I know some people don’t.”