Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers players criticized the field conditions in their season opener in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
“I mean, y’all saw out there that it was kind of rough to get traction,” Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts said, according to Tim McManus of ESPN. “Definitely challenging on that field. It’s not the type of field we’re used to playing on.”
Eagles star running back Saquon Barkley fell in the backfield on his first carry of the season, resulting in a five-yard loss.
Players noticeably struggled to make cuts on the field. They were consistently slipping, causing missed plays that hampered both teams throughout the contest.
“I mean, there were some cases where I was slipping,” Packers safety Xavier McKinney said after the game. “It was a little slippery. Different than obviously what I’m kind of used to.
“It’s just another circumstance. Obviously, every field is going to be different. We got to be able to, no matter the circumstance, still do our jobs and do it at a high level.”
The game was played at Arena Corinthians, typically a soccer field. It was the first time the NFL played a game in South America.
“Soccer fields are made for speed and agility. Smaller bodies gliding across the surface with minimal contact,” former NFL star J.J. Watt said on X. “They are not properly conditioned to have the size and strength of NFL players cutting, pushing, and driving all game on them.”
Some players decided to change cleats before the game, while others switched throughout the contest after struggling to get traction.
The Eagles defeated the Packers 34-29, with Barkley racking up 132 total yards and three touchdowns in his Philadelphia debut.
