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The poor playing surface of Super Bowl LVII continues to be an issue from time to time. Eagles fans generally don’t want to be reminded of it, since it brings back bad memories of the loss. Chiefs fans generally don’t want to hear it, since it potentially undermines the win.
It recently came up after Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham said the Chiefs’ offensive line was “blessed” by the subpar footing on grass that didn’t perform the way it should. That prompted our report that the league has privately blamed the Super Bowl slip-n-slide
on the players for not wearing the right shoes. And as that story got traction on Monday, former Eagles (now Lions) safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson chimed in.
“Man pre-game I went through 3 different cleats!!” Gardner-Johnson tweeted. “Even the studs wasn’t working
explain that please.”
Added Gardner-Johnson: “Run that bowl back on legit grass, the Dline SMASH that Oline
I’m sorry.”
The idea that the bad grass affected both teams equally ignores the differences between them. The Eagles had a much better pass rush. And the slippery field took just enough steam out of the pass rush to give Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes enough time to find open receivers.