Getty Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes II ahead of the 2023 Super Bowl.
The elephant in the room has finally been addressed. The field conditions at State Farm Stadium in Arizona for Super Bowl LVII were unacceptable. Players were visibly rattled and uncomfortable, slipping and sliding all night as if they were on ice skates. The unpredictability of the slick turf played a major factor in the Philadelphia Eagles losing to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The three-point loss has been debated and dissected over the past four months. Was Jonathan Gannon distracted? Did James Bradberry really commit pass interference? Should Miles Sanders have been unleashed? All are valid questions to ask. However, the most glaring issue seemed to be the Tahoma 31 turf which cost $800,000 to make and two years to grow. Eagles players openly complained about how they couldn’t get traction on the surface, specifically when trying to rush the quarterback.
Both Eagles pass rushers and the Super Bowl MVP QB, Patrick Mahomes, all slipped on this play. The athletes were totally held back because of the field.
Just absolutely mind blowing.
Remember, the Eagles recorded a franchise-best 78 sacks on the year. The Chiefs’ offensive line held them to zero in the Super Bowl. According to Brandon Graham, it cost Josh Sweat at least one strip-sack. Maybe two.
“I’m telling you that O-line, boy, they got blessed. I’ll say that,” Graham told JAKIB Sports, referring to the Chiefs offensive line. “When we looked at the film, there was a couple of times where if Sweaty 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.
“When we looked at the film, when I finally looked at it like, man, oh man. We gonna get that on the get-back. It’s coming back. That’s coming back but, like I said, credit to Kansas City. It’s all love. Them boys, they played, too.”
The field conditions at the Super Bowl were an issue and frankly embarrassing considering the magnitude of the game. These are just some examples.
Get Ready for the Rematch in Kansas City
Brandon Graham, the consummate professional, took the high road by throwing kudos on Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. The latter was the coach who first believed in him and drafted him in 2010. Make no mistake, there is no bad blood.
.@brandongraham55 speaks on how the #49ers handled the NFC Championship loss
“That’s not the way to handle it because you look like you’re just bitter about that situation… You definitely have to control them emotions everyday when you dealing with this job.”
It’s just unfortunate the Super Bowl had to be played under poor conditions. The Eagles and Chiefs will see each other again on November 20 in Kansas City, reportedly on the same Tahoma 31 turf. The grass is also headed to Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.
“They played on that surface, too,” Graham said. “And I heard they got the same surface that they got right there on that field at their place. And Vegas do, too. Hey, so if we gonna win, we gotta go through the battle, and so if that’s what they putting out, that’s what we gotta do. We gotta rise up to adversity.”
Eagles-Jets Super Bowl Matchup Looming?
This is the time of year where everyone tries to make their best educated guess at which teams might get to the Super Bowl. ESPN has been pounding the pavement for the Eagles to get there in recent weeks, giving them a 25.5% chance of reaching Las Vegas and 13% of winning the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Brandon Marshall (via IAmAthlete podcast) made his prediction: New York Jets over Philadelphia Eagles.