NFL has to make correct decision on location for Rams-Chiefs game

The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams are slated to play in Mexico on Monday night, but the field is currently being described as a mess.

The NFL hasn’t relocated, postponed or cancelled a regular or postseason game due to field conditions since the 1930s. Incredibly, the league might see that streak end on Monday night, with its marquee game of the year being impacted.

With the Chiefs and Rams slated to play on Monday Night Football in Mexico City, concerned have arisen over whether the field at Estadio Azteca are playable. Photos have surfaced throughout the week of the field appearing to be chopped up and disfigured, causing the NFL to do an investigation. A decision is expected on Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday, Lara Moritz of KMBC was down on the field and took a photo of the field, along with video of the stadium workers laying new sod. While the photo has the grass looking good, it’s tough to tell without an aerial angle.

When reached for reaction, the NFLPA stated it is waiting for all facts to be gathered before commenting further. The Chiefs and Rams have not yet responded to inquires.

The ramifications of moving or postponing the game would be wide-ranging. For starters, the NFL wants to expand its brand into international markets, playing three games annually in London and another in Mexico. Taking the game out of Mexico would be a public relations black eye. Additionally, any fans who bought tickets, and/or booked plane flights or hotel reservations to the game are going to justifiably be furious and out a good bit of change.

In essence, the league’s conundrum is whether to take a PR hit and potentially enrage the NFLPA by playing the game as scheduled, or jilt fans who have laid out thousands of dollars for the best regular-season game of the year?

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Common sense says the NFL has to prioritize player safety, but this is the NFL. The fact that the field is even in question five days prior to the game should be a massive red flag, but will commissioner Roger Goodell pull the proverbial plug? If relocation is his desire, moving the game to the L.A. Memorial Coliseum would be easy enough, with no events scheduled on that day there by NFL bylaw.

If the league wants to suspend the game, that remains a viable option as well. The Chiefs and Rams are both slated to have byes in Week 12, the last two teams to enjoy their break. Under this scenario, the NFL would be buying another week to fix the field, keep the game in Mexico, and likely have ESPN turn its broadcast schedule into a doubleheader.

Ultimately, the league has to do right by its players, especially when the two involved teams could well see each other in Super Bowl LIII.