MetLife Stadium Turf Passes NFL Inspection After 49ers' Injuries vs. Jets

The turf at MetLife Stadium passed another inspection by representatives from the NFL and NFL Players Association, as well as an independent examiner, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. 

The quality of the playing surface has been a talking point following the San Francisco 49ers' 31-13 victory over the New York Jets in Week 2.

Jimmy Garoppolo, Nick Bosa, Raheem Mostert, Tevin Coleman and Solomon Thomas all suffered injuries in the game, and head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters some of his players expressed concerns about the turf:

"I know that's as many knee injuries and ankle stuff and people getting caught on the turf that I've ever been a part of. From what I saw, the other team did, too. I know our players talked about it the entire game, just how sticky the turf was. I think that was the first time people played on it. That was something our guys were concerned about right away and the result definitely made that a lot stronger. Unfortunately, it's a place we have to go back next week."

Rapoport shared a statement from the NFL on Monday to confirm MetLife Stadium received all of the necessary approvals:

The New York Giants hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio reported no players from either team had any complaints about the turf.

Still, Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson reported the NFLPA was taking the matter seriously and that the union "would seek to address long-standing issues it has had about the reliability of field turf with commissioner Roger Goodell in the coming weeks."

"The union has continued to compile data on the prevalence of injuries on field turf versus grass, with some of the most recent information collected putting the occurrence of serious knee injuries nearly 15 percent higher on the artificial surfaces," Robinson wrote.

This is the first year for the new turf at MetLife Stadium. Questions may have arisen earlier had the COVID-19 pandemic not forced the cancellation of the preseason.

The 49ers will be back at the venue Sunday to play the Giants.