According to a report from ProFootballTalk citing a league source, the NFL had its internal and unofficial reason for the many slips that took place during Super Bowl 57 in February.
There’s little they could say in defense of the playing surface as it’s clear that it was not great. And there are still theories floating out there claiming the Kansas City Chiefs had a significant advantage on the night that came directly as a result.
The Eagles themselves haven’t used the slippery conditions as an excuse for the loss; it was plain enough to see, though Philly defensive end Brandon Graham recently pointed out that the Chiefs’ offensive line was “blessed.”
Per the aforementioned publication, owners asked about the surface at some point after the game and were told that players weren’t wearing the right shoes. The Eagles changed theirs and they might as well have kept their original ones on as it hardly made a difference.
Of course, this is poor as excuses get. There should never be a reason for teams to have to think about types and sizes of cleats ahead of a game of such magnitude.
There’s simply no excuse for having a Super Bowl turf in the condition that it was. The Eagles were right there up until that controversial holding call, however.
