- May 21, 2026
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On Sunday, the Ravens and the Cowboys will play in Brazil. At Maracanã Stadium. Where the grass has raised concerns.
But not enough concerns to spark any serious discussion about keeping the game in the U.S.
At this point, it's too late to turn back. The only strategy is to move forward and hope the field holds up.
The effort includes, as the venue's official account tweeted on Thursday, the addition of fiber stitching in order to increase "the field’s resistance and safety."
The machine, which looks like the grass version of a Zamboni, will reinforce the grass with synthetic material in the hopes of making it good enough to withstand the wear and tear of an NFL game.
The game most likely will proceed, even if (as we've been told) the field will not look good on TV. As explained by Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal, cancellation isn’t a viable option. When would the game be made up? (The Cowboys and Ravens have their byes on different weekends, so calling this week their bye and playing it later would require major surgery to the schedule.)
It will be critical for the teams to get early access to the field, so that good decisions can be made about the proper cleats to wear. Because it's too late to bring the teams home and play in Dallas.
The NFL continues to be the ultimate reality show, and the possible issues with the field will serve only to increase interest — and in turn boost the viewership at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday.
But not enough concerns to spark any serious discussion about keeping the game in the U.S.
At this point, it's too late to turn back. The only strategy is to move forward and hope the field holds up.
The effort includes, as the venue's official account tweeted on Thursday, the addition of fiber stitching in order to increase "the field’s resistance and safety."
The machine, which looks like the grass version of a Zamboni, will reinforce the grass with synthetic material in the hopes of making it good enough to withstand the wear and tear of an NFL game.
The game most likely will proceed, even if (as we've been told) the field will not look good on TV. As explained by Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal, cancellation isn’t a viable option. When would the game be made up? (The Cowboys and Ravens have their byes on different weekends, so calling this week their bye and playing it later would require major surgery to the schedule.)
It will be critical for the teams to get early access to the field, so that good decisions can be made about the proper cleats to wear. Because it's too late to bring the teams home and play in Dallas.
The NFL continues to be the ultimate reality show, and the possible issues with the field will serve only to increase interest — and in turn boost the viewership at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday.