The field at the State Farm Stadium for Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles was heavily criticised at the time, as players struggled for grip, causing slipping and sliding, but now the NFL has reportedly identified the reason.
The conditions "blessed" the Chiefs, according to Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham, with Kansas running out 38-35 winners on the night. "You need that traction to be able to get off the block and we were slipping a lot,” Graham said to the Kansas City Star. “I don’t make excuses. I just know that that’s what was being talked about, us trying to get out of our own head a little bit, too... I’m telling you that O-line, they got blessed, I’ll say that.”
Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata also voiced his displeasure, likening the playing field to a "water park". It's still unclear whether the grass was to blame, or whether too much water was on the field but according to NBC Sports, the NFL's "unofficial excuse" is that players were not wearing the correct shoes, which was communicated to owners when the situation was raised.
