Sorry Philadelphia, the NFL will take no blame for your Super Bowl 2023 loss to the Chiefs.
The Super Bowl field conditions were a major talking point coming out of State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, Ariz., as players constantly slipped on the turf when making hard cuts.
The unofficial excuse from the NFL is players wearing incorrect footwear, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported.
Both teams dealt with the same conditions, but this affected the two in different ways, notably the Eagles’ pass rushers who barely laid a finger on Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes throughout the 73-point slugfest.
The Eagles’ defense managed zero sacks on Mahomes and 12 hurries according to PFF – but when taking a closer look, those hurries show plenty of falling down as edge rushers looked to make their move.
Fox4KC reported that many Eagles players did decide to change cleats at halftime, but to no avail, as they watched their lead wither away at the hands of the hot-throwing ball-slinger.
Eagles veteran defensive lineman Brandon Graham was livid with the field conditions, saying that the Chiefs’ offensive line “got blessed” by the poor traction on the turf.
“You need that traction to be able to get off the block, and we were slipping a lot,” Graham continued. “I don’t make excuses. I just know that that’s what was being talked about, us trying to get out of our own head a little bit, too.”
The complains were not the first ones about the turf in Arizona, and not even the first involving the Chiefs, who opened the 2022 season against the Cardinals.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid blamed the turf for Week 1 injuries to kicker Harrison Butker and rookie cornerback Trent McDuffie.
“It was a little loose. That’s what happens sometimes when you re-sod,” Reid said. “It’s part of the Butker injury and the McDuffie injury, and that’s unfortunate. The turf picked up, and I would tell you that did have something to do with it. If it didn’t, I’d tell you that, too. It’s not an excuse by any means. But you all see it when you watch the tape.”
