Panthers’ turf looks good for NFC Championship (Photo)

Bank of America Stadium’s turf in Charlotte looks slightly damp, but in relatively good shape for the 2016 NFC Championship Game.

ESPN’s Britt McHenry reports that the tarp is off Bank of America Stadium’s turf in Charlotte, N.C., hours before the 2016 NFC Championship Game between the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals. McHenry reported that the turf looked a little damp, but should not play as big of a factor as it did it the Panthers’ NFC Divisional game against the Seattle Seahawks last week.

The turf had an adverse effect on the Seahawks in last week’s game, as players on its vaunted defense complained that they couldn’t get a good footing in the first half. Seattle trailed Carolina 31-0 at halftime before attempting an improbable comeback, falling short of the Panthers, 31-24, ending their 2015 NFL season.

With Winter Storm Jonas wreaking havoc down the east coast, it was uncertain if the winter storm was going to further comprise Carolina’s home turf.

The Panthers’ grounds crew apparently took great precaution in preparing for the rare snow in Charlotte, as the turf looks surprisingly tame when compared to its slickness the week before. It seems that the worst of the weather had occurred by Friday evening and the NFC Championship Game should go off without a hitch.

What better fields conditions do to the two teams going head-to-head on gridiron is that it essentially levels the playing field, pun intended. Arizona is a notorious dome team that plays in an area of the country that rarely sees rain, let alone snow.

Sluggish field conditions would favor Carolina, as they are more of a run-first team than Arizona. Running back Jonathan Stewart, fullback Mike Tolbert, and quarterback Cam Newton were better equipped to play in sloppy field conditions than quarterback Carson Palmer and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.