NFLPA President Says Brazil Field for Cowboys vs. Ravens Was Upgraded for Better Stability, Traction

NFL Players Association executive director JC Tretter revealed that the field at Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, the site of a Week 3 matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens, has been upgraded.

"We've been in regular communication with the league about the field," Tretter wrote as part of a post on X. "Both the NFLPA's and the league's field experts have been on the ground in Brazil for days, monitoring conditions and working to make the surface as safe and playable as possible for Sunday. Based on our experts' assessment, the field needed better traction and stability. They recommended reinforced stitching to help the surface hold together and brought in equipment to reinforce as much of the field as possible before the game. Our experts will remain engaged and continue evaluating conditions through kickoff."

Soccer players previously complained about the field quality ahead of the game.

"You don't even need to talk about the field. It's there for everyone to see," Flamengo goalkeeper Agustín Rossi said, according to ge, a Brazilian sports media site (h/t Jonas Shaffer of the Baltimore Banner). "The way we play, it's unbelievable that we're playing on a field like this. Both penalty areas are bad as [expletive]. 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."

On Monday, NFL field director Nick Pappas told Jon Machota, Jeff Zrebiec and Jonathan Jones of The Athletic that there were "no concerns" about the playing surface.

The venue utilized a GrassMaster Stitch Machine to directly stitch synthetic polypropylene fibers into the natural grass field in order to increase resistance on Thursday (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson wasn't too worried about the field conditions.

"I believe the NFL does a great job at having their specialists go out there and look over the fields," Jackson said Wednesday, per ESPN's Jamison Hensley. "I cannot worry about that. I just have to worry about getting us a dub in Brazil. [As for] the field, we have played on bad fields plenty of times, so I cannot really dwell on that."

The upcoming clash will mark the third NFL regular-season game to take place in Brazil. The first two contests occurred in São Paulo.

Both the Cowboys and Ravens sit at 1-1 this year as they look to contend in their respective divisions.

Baltimore is coming off a 24-17 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 2, while Dallas wrapped up a 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders.

Kickoff between the Cowboys and Ravens is on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.