Former Eagles safety blames bad turf for Super Bowl loss to Chiefs
Former Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson is the most recent NFL player to have a problem with the turf at State Farm Stadium. Gardner-Johnson, who signed with the Detroit Lions this offseason, tweeted that the Eagles' defense would have thrived against the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive line in the Super Bowl "on legit grass."
Run that bowl back on legit grass , the Dline SMASH that Oline I’m sorry 🗣️🗣️🗣️
— C.J. Gardner-Johnson (@CGJXXIII) July 3, 2023
For those who have already forgotten, several players were seen slipping and sliding on the turf during Super Bowl LVII in Glendale, Arizona, and Philadelphia defensive lineman Haason Reddick called it "the worst field I ever played on" after the game. Later, the NFL's longtime chief groundskeeper, George Toma, explained that the manager of the turf watered it too much.
But this was five months ago. Why did Gardner-Johnson pick July 3 of all days to tweet about something so old? Perhaps he still harbors frustration and regret after the Eagles failed to sack Patrick Mahomes all game. Or maybe he's still mad about the controversial holding penalty on cornerback James Bradberry that set up a go-ahead, game-winning Chiefs field goal.
Or, more likely, Gardner-Johnson saw the report from Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio that the NFL privately blamed players for wearing the wrong cleats during the game, even though Eagles players changed their cleats at halftime.
Gardner-Johnson's argument fits in line with what former Eagles teammate Brandon Graham said a few weeks ago about the turf and the game. The veteran defensive end told the Sports Take podcast that the Chiefs' offensive line "got blessed" by the poor field conditions, which played a role in their ability to shut down the Eagles up front.
“You need that traction to be able to get off the block and we were slipping a lot,” Graham said. “I don’t make excuses. I just know that that’s what was being talked about, us trying to get out of our own head a little bit, too. ... I’m telling you, that O-line, they got blessed. I’ll say that.”
Former Chiefs offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. dismantled Gardner-Johnson's and Graham's claim in one tweet. Brown, who signed with the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason, broke down the Eagles' defensive plan and why Kansas City was able to thwart it.
We talking about grass on the biggest stage…Y’all rush plan was to win with games when rushing 4 with a mix of man and zone thinking that shit was getting home ❌ !!!! On top of that y’all rushed 5 with Cov 1 and a splash of 3!! Let’s not act like the field helped me stop a bull… https://t.co/Hhvh6qAtXJ
— Orlando Brown Jr. (@ZEUS__57) July 3, 2023
Turf aside, Super Bowl LVII still ended up being the most-watched Super Bowl ever after updated Nielsen ratings. Mahomes won his second MVP for the Chiefs, and Jalen Hurts put together an incredible four-touchdown performance in the Eagles' loss. And despite personnel and coaching changes, both teams are the top-two betting favorites to win the Super Bowl this season, with the Chiefs at +600 and the Eagles at +900, per BetMGM.
Allegiant Stadium, take notes on the field conditions for Super Bowl LVIII.
