Cowboys and Ravens set to play on a "dog s**t" playing surface at the iconic Maracanã Stadium
The field at the Maracanã is usually in tip-top shape for major soccer events, but it doesn't look prepared for an NFL game.
There are already plenty of reasons for why NFL players don't like the idea of playing international games during the regular season. The biggest reason is the brutal travel schedule that throws off the team's routine. But in Week 3, there's a different reason emerging.
The Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Raven s are scheduled to play at the famous Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Sunday. In theory, it should be a spectacular event. But once the players got to the stadium this week, it became clear that there are issues.
The biggest issue is quite clearly the state of the playing surface at the stadium. Usually in great shape for soccer games, since Flamengo and Fluminense both play their matches there, the Cowboys and Ravens have both expressed concern about the playing field.
Groundskeepers at the stadium had to apply synthetic fiber to the field just days before the game in order to reinforce the playing surface, since the field has been hit by heavy rainfall recently.
The field at the Maracanã is still in very bad shape as NFL game nears
Media members got a close-up look at the field the day before the game, and according to one source for Pro Football Talk, the field " looks like dog s**t ".
Hopefully, there will be no injuries as a result of the shape of the field. What's clear is that both teams could be at a disadvantage, given that they've never played on anything similar in the past.
