The NFL avoided certain disaster by taking the most drastic of measures.
Several Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs players would have boycotted their Week 11 showdown due to their concerns about the playing surface at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, NBC Sports’ Peter King reported Monday, citing a leading player from one of the teams. Instead of forcing the players to appear in the “international series” game, the NFL last week moved the Chiefs versus Rams contest to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum after photos of Azteca Stadium’s “soupy” turf sparked alarm around the league.
By changing venues, the NFL derailed the very-real prospect of fans watching two teams with 9-1 records facing each other without their full complement of players.
“And what a scene that would have been, players boycotting the Game of the Year,” King writes.
The teams will play Monday night in L.A., and there should be no shortage of star power. Given the alternative scenario, we’ll consider this a good thing.
