The turf at Soldier Field looks like it could be a problem during the Kansas City Chiefs’ preseason opener against the Chicago Bears on Saturday.
The grass at Soldier Field has long been a problem, with players complaining of issues keeping their footing. At the Bears Family Fest on Tuesday, August 9th, it was clear that the franchise hasn’t exactly made any strides in improving the turf conditions. Reporters in attendance got a look at the playing surface firsthand and they didn’t exactly report that the field was in tip-top shape.
Soldier Field, sans the north stands, for #Bears family fest. pic.twitter.com/ZeYOCTxjf7
— Sean Hammond (@sean_hammond) August 9, 2022
Soldier Field grass in midseason form— pic.twitter.com/do8bSa10bI
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) August 9, 2022
Former Chiefs K Cairo Santos, who now kicks for the Bears, also expressed his displeasure over the turf conditions.
“Especially Week 1, our first game of the season — I’ve seen better,” Santos said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “It’s just what we have to deal with. The less of a problem you make it in your mind, it helps you overcome it and just go.”
Santos told reporters that the conditions of the turf are so consistently bad that he actually sought out a similar playing surface in the offseason while he was training in Florida. That seems like a pretty damning statement, and a problem the Bears should probably work to address.
Unfortunately, it’s probably too little too late ahead of preseason Week 1. They could go about re-sodding the field, but that could bring about other issues. Kansas City should proceed with caution in a game that will have very little meaning in the grand scheme of things.
