Ready or not, the Ravens and Cowboys will play on Sunday, at Maracanä Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The field may not be ready. Not that it matters.
A close-up image of the playing surface has emerged, as posted by 105.3 The Fan. The synthetic grass that was stitched into the real grass is visible, even if not much real grass is visible.
As one source on the scene has put it, with a poetic flair, the field “looks like dog shit.” (Hopefully, there wasn’t a taste test.)
It doesn’t matter. The game will be played. The league has said there is “no need to worry.”
On Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET, millions will see how it looks. More importantly for the NFL, it will be the third straight year with a game in Brazil. Which is important to the league’s effort to attract more global fans.
Regardless of how the field looks, or how it plays.