The Baltimore Ravens are coming off an extremely disappointing loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 2. It was one where they held a lead but blew it in typical Ravens fashion. However, the biggest question might not be about the team in Week 3—it may actually be about the field.
What’s the field going to look like? That’s the question on everyone’s mind as the Ravens get set to take on the Dallas Cowboys at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in Week 3.
And it’s a real concern. Over the past week, several complaints about the field’s condition have surfaced, with soccer players calling out the difficulties playing on the grass.
Obviously, soccer players have to worry about a ball bouncing up uncontrollably. However, with NFL players cutting at high speeds and colliding at full speed, a wrecked field could cause injuries.
The NFL has expressed confidence in the playing conditions, but with player safety being a real concern, the issue remains in the spotlight and will continue to be something to keep an eye on throughout Sunday’s showdown.
Here are the latest updates on the field’s conditions.
Everything you need to know about field conditions ahead of Ravens' Week 3
Latest field updates
Reports have mentioned bumps all across the surface at Maracanã Stadium.
Flamengo goalkeeper Agustín Rossi has gone on record to say the field has been horrendous to play on.
“The way we play, it’s unbelievable that we’re playing on a field like this. Both penalty areas are bad as [expletive],” Rossi said. “If you look at it, there are bumps everywhere. There’s still going to be an NFL game here during the international break. After that game, I hope the field is in better shape.”
A heavy match schedule and rainfall in Brazil have contributed to the wear and tear. The country had record-breaking precipitation levels in August, and the heavy rain continued into September. The stadium also hosted six matches in 18 days, with the most recent coming on September 20.
That does give some time to make the proper repairs. On Thursday, the official Maracanã Stadium account on X posted a clip of the efforts to reinforce the field.
Hoje, o gramado do Maracanã está recebendo a aplicação de fibra com a utilização da GrassMaster Stitch Machine.
— Maracanã (@maracana) September 24, 2026
O procedimento, realizado como reforço estrutural para o gramado, consiste em uma sobrecostura, aumentando a resistência e a segurança do campo. pic.twitter.com/9snmDUcx4l
Clips also surfaced of a full-field perspective.
This isn’t the first time the NFL has dealt with field concerns. They had a game scheduled between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams in Mexico City back in 2018, but that was relocated to LA after rain and concerts tore up the field. This game will be staying put in Brazil, though.
Official NFL statement
The NFL has remained steadfast in its confidence in the field at Maracanã Stadium. League field director Nick Pappas said earlier in the week that moving the game was never in the conversation.
Pappas told ESPN the following:
“Look, there's the realities of managing any playing surface, and then there's also the realities of managing a grass playing surface that's being used midseason," Pappas said. "So it's all about monitoring it. It's all about having a plan in place and then being able to react to anything that maybe comes our way."
He also provided context to the weather that has swept through Brazil over the past two months.
"So what we've seen in Rio is a significant amount of rainfall, a record kind of rainfall over the last six weeks. And that obviously poses challenges just from a management perspective, but nothing that we're not capable of managing or prepared to take."
Comments from Ravens coaches and players
If you ask around the Ravens locker room, they’re obviously leaving it up to the NFL. That’s all you can do; there’s not really another way to answer questions about the playing surface and the league’s decision.
Head coach Jesse Minter mentioned Baltimore was in contact with the NFL’s officials earlier in the week and said that they’re putting it in their hands.
"It's really in the league's hands, and I think we've been in contact with them. They got people there, feel pretty good about it.”
As usual, Lamar Jackson isn't worried about what's going on outside the building. He's worried about Ravens football and how he and his team are preparing for Sunday.
“I believe the NFL does a great job of having their specialists go out there and look over the fields,” Jackson said. “We played on bad fields plenty of times, so I can’t really dwell on that. We’re just going there to play football.”
Kyle Hamilton did acknowledge the reports, but still, the field conditions aren’t something really on his mind either.
“I’ll have to see [how the field is] when I get down there. There’s a lot of ‘he said, she said’ kind of thing going on right now,” Hamilton said. “The players are the product in this league, and as soon as we lose the ‘putting the players forward’ is when we lose the league, and I’m sure the league is doing their best to put us in the right position to be safe. That’s not really at the forefront of my mind right now; just trying to get ready for the game.”
Add us as a preferred source on Google