Getty Kansas City Chiefs superstars Patrick Mahomes II and Travis Kelce celebrate the Super Bowl win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
In case you missed it, Philadelphia Eagles pass rusher and team captain Brandon Graham opened up a can of worms when he brought up the field conditions at the 2023 Super Bowl while discussing the loss on the “Sports Take” podcast with Derrick Gunn and Rob Ellis.
Since then, claims about the Super Bowl turf have picked up once again, leading to a viral tweet from ex-Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. “Run that bowl back on legit grass, the Dline SMASH that Oline I’m sorry 🗣️🗣️🗣️,” he voiced.
Run that bowl back on legit grass , the Dline SMASH that Oline I’m sorry 🗣️🗣️🗣️
This quote was similar to Graham’s, which stated: “I’m telling you that O-line, boy, they got blessed. I’ll say that [laughs]… When we looked at the film, there was a couple of times where if Sweaty [Josh Sweat] don’t slip, boy, strip-sack! Oh my God! Especially that first drive, that first drive where he threw it across the middle to [Travis] Kelce, he was right there, man, he slipped. We could not believe it.”
This time, Chiefs Kingdom was ready for this excuse, and they absolutely roasted Gardner-Johnson and Eagles nation on social media.
Top Chiefs Responses After Eagles Claim Turf Lost Them the Super Bowl
Kansas City Chiefs fans banded together to collectively shoot down this theory — which has been talked about in some capacity since the big game.
“What field did Chiefs play on?” One KC supporter asked rhetorically. Another posted a photo of wide receiver Skyy Moore scoring Kansas City’s last touchdown, with the caption: “Turf monster must have got ‘em!”
@CGJXXIII Turf monster must have got ’em!
In the same vein, a quote tweet from a Chiefs fan went viral. It included the two near identical video clips of Moore and Kadarius Toney walking into the endzone untouched. “This happened on back to back drives [because] of the grass apparently,” the fan wrote.
Finally, Chiefs podcaster Lance Twidwell went viral for reiterating the Super Bowl claims against Kansas City: “‘If Jimmy [Garoppolo] didn’t overthrow Emmanuel Sanders, the [San Francisco] 49ers beat the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV!!’… ‘If the field wasn’t so slick, the Eagles beat the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII!!’… How about the 49ers and Eagles not give up double digit leads in the 2nd half to the Chiefs?”
Pro Football Talk Report Claims NFL Blamed Cleats for Super Bowl Slippage
Pro Football Talk NFL insider Mike Florio published an update on the Super Bowl turf on July 3.
“There’s no dispute that the Super Bowl LVII playing surface was less than subpar,” Florio wrote. “A dispute lingers regarding why players were slipping and sliding on a grass field that neutralized the pass rushes, to the benefit of the Chiefs and to the detriment of the Eagles.”
“Was it the grass? Was it the watering? Was it something else?” The NBC Sports reporter questioned.
Florio then followed up with some new information. “The NFL has an unofficial excuse for the situation, one that has been communicated when owners ask about it,” he relayed. “Per a league source, the league blames the players for not wearing the right shoes. (The Eagles changed their cleats — and it didn’t seem to matter.)”
“Setting aside the fact that there should have been no reason for the teams to anticipate needing different types and sizes of cleats for a game that supposedly will be played under pristine conditions, the manner in which the field was torn up during the game shows that, regardless of whether the teams were able to properly adjust, the field never, ever should have been in that condition,” Florio concluded.
Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling had the perfect reply for this new report from Florio and Pro Football Talk.
“Huh?? 😂😂😂,” he responded. “But who cares we won.”