RIO DE JANEIRO — With kickoff less than 24 hours away at the Maracanã, the NFL’s first game in Brazil has entered what a league spokesperson described as “the final phase of field assessment,” a process that ESPN has tracked since soccer players began complaining about their home stadium last week.

The assessment has so far produced the following findings, in order:

  1. Flamengo, the soccer club that calls the Maracanã home, complained.
  2. The NFL field director said there were “no concerns right now.”
  3. The NFL and the NFLPA said they were “continuing to monitor.”
  4. The league said the field “passed required tests.”
  5. The league said the field’s “stability” was, per a Yahoo Sports report, “not enough to be suitable for a game” as of a week ago, and has not, per the same report, been updated since.

The Cowboys, who conducted a walkaround at the stadium on Thursday, described the field as “soft.” Defensive lineman Kenny Clark, who played in the 2024 game in São Paulo, described that field as “mushy a little bit.” The two descriptions have been entered into the league’s official record as “consistent.”

"If we got to play on some concrete, we will play on some concrete."

Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, asked about the reports, delivered what the Ravens’ media staff has since referred to, in an internal summary that was not released but was described as “the quote,” as “the quote.” “If we got to play on some concrete, we will play on some concrete,” Humphrey said with a smile. “I’m hoping those reports aren’t true.”

Quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has “played on bad fields plenty of times,” said he “cannot dwell” on the surface and is focused on “getting us a dub in Brazil.” The Ravens’ safety Kyle Hamilton said the league “knows what it’s doing” and that the players should “put the players forward,” which the Ravens’ media staff has referred to, in the same internal summary, as “also the quote.”

The Cowboys’ head coach, asked what the team would do if the field were, in fact, unsuitable, responded that the players “have been educated on cleat choice,” that the team has “molded cleats as well as the seven-stud shoes,” and that, “at the end of the day, these guys have to wear things that make them feel comfortable, and if they’re slipping, then that’s going to be on them.”

THE RIO FIELD: A TIMELINE OF OFFICIAL FINDINGS

  • ~1 week ago: soccer players at the Maracanã complain about the grass
  • Monday: NFL field director: "no concerns right now"
  • Tuesday: NFL/NFLPA: "continuing to monitor"
  • Wednesday: league says field "passed required tests"
  • Thursday: Cowboys walkaround; field described as "soft"; "backup plans in place" (plans undisclosed)
  • Friday: kickoff. The field is, per the league, "the field."

The “backup plans,” which the Cowboys’ coaching staff confirmed exist without describing, have been the subject of at least four separate questions in two separate press conferences. The answer to all four has been a version of “we have them.” A league spokesperson, asked what happens if the field is, in the words of the league’s own report, “not stable enough to be suitable for a game,” said the league “trusts the process,” which is, per the spokesperson, “a real thing.”

At press time, the field had been watered. The water had been applied by a machine. The machine had not been, per the stadium, “a concern.” Kickoff is at 5:25 p.m. local time, which is 8:25 p.m. in Dallas, which is the same, per a Cowboys spokesperson, as “when we play at home, emotionally.”