EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Sunday’s forecast in the Meadowlands called for wind and rain.
But by the time the Patriots and Jets finished their pregame warmups at MetLife Stadium, both end zones looked like were covered in a dusting of snow.
The white paint used to print “JETS” in each end zone evidently did not dry properly, resulting in a mess of footprints that muddied the surrounding green turf.
It was an embarrassing scene for New York’s grounds crew — there were more than a few “great googily moogily” jokes on social media — and one that could have real in-game implications. If the paint was slick enough to leave footprints, will players have enough stability to cut on it without slipping?
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This could cause issues both on plays near the goal line and on long field-goal attempts, as the midfield logo looked similarly sloppy.
Paint mishaps aside, the turf at MetLife Stadium already had a bad reputation among NFL players, with those concerns recently resurfacing in the wake of Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending Achilles tear.
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An unnamed Patriots player told MassLive.com’s Mark Daniels that he does not enjoy playing road games against the Jets because of MetLife’s turf.
The Patriots entered Sunday’s AFC East clash badly needing a victory after starting the season 0-2 for the first time since 2001. The Rodgers-less Jets came in at 1-1 after being blown out by Dallas 30-10 in Week 2.
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Featured image via Zack Cox/NESN
