The New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs will be playing on some new grass Sunday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium.
Travis Hogan, head groundskeeper for the Chiefs, revealed Thursday night on Twitter that Arrowhead Stadium field was resodded this week ahead of the AFC Championship Game on Sunday.
“We weren’t planning on a resod this week,” he said in the tweet, “but Mother Nature had other plans. (Ten) inches of snow in the stadium being hauled out on the sidelines changed things. My crew did an unbelievable job. They are the BEST! Everyone is tired but we are ready. Let’s roll!”
Heavy snow pounded Kansas City a week ago leading up to the Chiefs’ divisional-round matchup with the Indianapolis Colts. Another snowstorm was in the earlier forecasts this week, but it now seems that will miss Arrowhead. Rain is in the forecast Friday, but it’s nothing major, and the potential record-breaking cold thought to be on tap for Sunday’s game was a swing and a miss. Instead, the forecast now calls for temperatures in the 30s on Sunday.
Hogan was good about answering questions from fans on Twitter, and among the things that stood out was his assurance footing will be sound, especially for just one more game. That has to be music to the Chiefs’ ears who have a ton of speed, especially on offense. Of course, the Patriots stand to benefit, too, as their precision passing game might take a hit if pass-catchers aren’t able to run clean routes because they’re slipping on the grass.
If precipitation does come through Kansas City, Hogan noted the plan is to cover the field, which is typically what teams with grass fields typically do. He also said the sodding only took place between the numbers and on the sidelines, which you can tell by looking at the photos.
Just one more thing to keep in mind when the Patriots and Chiefs battle Sunday for a spot in Super Bowl LIII.
