Will the NFL move the Chiefs vs. Rams game because of field conditions at Estadio Azteca?

Field conditions for the NFL’s Week 11 game in Mexico City are bad, REALLY bad.

The NFL’s never been one to let hazardous field conditions interfere with its unstoppable corporate machine. How would you explain Dan Snyder’s Maryland mud pit or the carpet literally coming up in Houston? So you know things must be bad at Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca if the league is weighing whether or not to cancel a Week 11 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams there because the field’s in such terrible shape.

As of Tuesday morning, no decision had been, but the league expects to reach a conclusion by the end of the day. The field conditions are a “significant concern,” according to Adam Schefter.

Where will the Chiefs vs. Rams game happen if they can’t play in Mexico City?

There hasn’t been an official decision about where they could play the game if the field at Estadio Azteca isn’t fixed in time. One likely option is back in Los Angeles at the Coliseum. Postponing the game is still an option too, though you can be sure it’s a last resort for the NFL.

There’s another reason Los Angeles is the primary backup option for the game — rules!

They’ll take a closer look at the playing surface on Tuesday and try to figure out whether or not they can get it into good enough shape for Monday night’s game.

“We are working closely with the field manager at Azteca Stadium and others to ensure that we have an NFL-quality surface for our game, and we are looking forward to kicking off in Mexico City on Monday night,” league spokesperson Brian McCarthy told ESPN on Tuesday.

What exactly is wrong with the field at Estadio Azteca?

Oh, buddy. It’s bad. Real bad. Bad enough to made FedEx Field look like a bucolic pasture somewhere in the wilds of Scotland.

Check this out.

Let’s get an shot from the air just for effect.

Here’s a more recent shot of the field. They’re laying sod on the field on Tuesday, and it’s looking more like the game will probably stay on schedule.

A concert at the field on Nov. 7 did significant damage to the playing surface. That last photo up there, the one taken from above, is what the field looked like the day after that concert. On Saturday, there was a soccer game there, pushing back the ability to fix it.

This isn’t the first time the field’s been a problem this year. A Shakira concert in October tore up the field too. Reports in the wake of that show said the damage may be irreversible.

The problem stems mostly from ripping out the natural grass field and replacing it with a hybrid turf earlier this year. That process wasn’t finished until three days before the stadium went into use, heavy use, and that, combined with bad weather, has left the playing surface in tatters.

Why do field conditions matter?

Simple — shitty field conditions mean more player injuries.

The league and the players union had one of their rare come together moments over the issue in 2016. After a rash of injuries directly and indirectly attributed to the physical locations where teams play, the two sides set up a joint committee on the issue during the offseason that year. Less than a month later, they canceled the preseason Hall of Fame game when the field there literally MELTED after a concert the night before.

We’re still waiting to see if the show goes on in Mexico City, but just looking at the state of the field, it’s hard to see how the league can justify it at this point.