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Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (right) and outside linebacker Von Miller participate in a walkthrough at Maracan\u00e3 Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Cowboys play the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Smiley N. Pool\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
RIO DE JANEIRO \u2014 Cowboys<\/a> players and coaches have been asked all week about the concerns stemming from the playing field surface at Maracan\u00e3 Stadium in Brazil<\/a>. On Saturday, they got the chance to see for themselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n Players and coaches arrived on a humid afternoon for a literal walkthrough at Maracan\u00e3. There was no practice. Instead, they had the chance to visualize what it\u2019ll be like when they play the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday<\/a>. They had the chance to get a feel for the field.\u00a0<\/p>\n Some, like wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, walked barefoot on the re-fortified Bermuda grass. Others, like running back Javonte Williams, brought cleats to see what it would feel like and whether they would need to prepare with multiple options. Tight end Jake Ferguson, recently fined by the league for a shotgunning beer celebration<\/a>, even picked up some grass and pretended to put some of it in his mouth like tobacco chew. At least we think it was pretend.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Members of the media in attendance weren\u2019t allowed on the playing surface, but the analysis from some players, coaches and other staff members featured a mixture of two reactions: it is what it is, and we\u2019ll see. Some indicated that there were evident patches, rather than a fully\u00a0flat field. It added to the concerning discourse with just over 24 hours until kickoff.\u00a0<\/p>\n Workers prepare the field at Maracan\u00e3 Stadium ahead of an NFL football game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Baltimore Ravens, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.<\/p>\n Smiley N. Pool\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n How people feel about the field won\u2019t change anything at this point, however. NFL Field Director Nick Pappas, standing on the field at the time, said Saturday the playing surface passed the joint thresholds to play determined by both the NFL and the NFL Players Association.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAgain, things check out,\u201d Pappas said. \u201cWe\u2019ve made additional improvements to the field that we think were just helpful\u00a0\u2014 all around helpful. Things that we felt and brought to the [NFL]PA to say this is what we\u2019re going to do and this is how we\u2019re battling it\u00a0\u2014 the weather, that is\u00a0\u2014 and how we\u2019re improving it. We wanted to bring those items to the [NFL]PA that there was no need to worry.\u201d<\/p>\n NFLPA Executive Director J.C. Tretter released a statement Friday, hours after both teams arrived, to express the organization\u2019s initial concern over the field quality<\/a>. The\u00a0NFLPA had a player director in attendance for days prior to the arrival of both teams as well as third-party field experts to analyze the condition. Tretter said the field needed better traction and stability and they recommended reinforced stitching.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Pappas said they brought in GrassMaster stitching machines that \u201cdrive synthetic fibers into the ground to help stability.\u201d He\u00a0said they used the same stitching process last year in S\u00e3o Paulo, where the NFL returned for the second time in two seasons.\u00a0<\/p>\n Pappas also said there\u2019s been a \u201cperfect storm\u201d of events that have made groundskeeping \u201cchallenging\u201d in preparation for Sunday\u2019s game.<\/p>\n Pappas reminded reporters that it may be summer back home in the United States, but it\u2019s currently spring in the southern hemisphere, even though the humidity on Saturday afternoon challenged that idea. That can have an effect on the Bermuda grass field.<\/p>\n \u201cAnyone who manages Bermuda grass back home knows when we come out of winter into spring, we\u2019re getting rid of that overseeded rye grass and going back to pure standard Bermuda. That Bermuda is slow to wake up sometimes,\u201d Pappas said. \u201cThat is where we\u2019re at today.\u201d<\/p>\n The field has also been in use over the last few months. Maracan\u00e3 hosts an average of two games per week, Pappas said. The discourse about the field was mostly sparked by comments from Flamengo goalie Agustin Rossi, who recently told ESPN via GE.com<\/a> that it\u2019s \u201cunbelievable\u201d they\u2019re playing on the field.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cIf you look at it, there are bumps everywhere,\u201d Rossi said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Patches, according to people who walked the field, were evident on the playing surface. But Pappas said that might not be as big of a concern for the NFL as it is for soccer players.<\/p>\n \u201cSoccer is very focused on ball-surface interaction,\u201d Pappas said. \u201cThey want a soccer ball to roll like a billiards table. They want a true roll. They don\u2019t want it to kick or jump one way or another.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re focused on athlete-surface interaction.\u201d<\/p>\n The Cowboys will be prepared with multiple pairs of cleats for players, including some with seven studs that are designed to increase grip on a playing field that could be more slippery.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Dallas Cowboys players footwear ranges from kicker Brandon Aubrey\u2019s cleats to bare feet as they participate in a walkthrough at Maracan\u00e3 Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Cowboys play the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.<\/p>\n Smiley N. Pool\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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