Parts of the Arrowhead Stadium field are being completely redone
KANSAS CITY, MO – JANUARY 12: Fans begin to filter in prior to the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Indianapolis Colts at the AFC Divisional Round playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium. (Photo by Jason Hanna/Getty Images)
By Matt Dolloff, 985TheSportsHub.com
The Patriots play the Chiefs in a big football game on Sunday. Unfortunately, there’s been a lot said about other things around the actual football. The weather. Their road record. And now the grass.
That is, the natural grass field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, where it’s likely to be extremely cold during Sunday’s AFC Championship Game. WBZ’s Dan Roche is already out there in K.C., and tweeted a video from up high in the Arrowhead Stadium seats to show the work being done on the field.
One of the end zones looks like it’s been completely uprooted to be redone with the game just days away.
View of Arrowhead Stadium from the press box - site of Sunday’s #AFCChampionshipGame featuring #NEvsKC #Patriots @Patriots #WBZ @WBZ pic.twitter.com/R6kA016KUO
— Dan Roche (@RochieWBZ) January 16, 2019
The field work is notable because of the presence of natural grass, and the Patriots’ spotty record on it. They’re 1-4 on grass fields this season, and 31-21 since 2007, the first full season after Gillette Stadium switched to artificial turf. That’s not a bad record, but certainly not as spotless as the Patriots have been in just about any other situation.
It’s worth noting that they went 10-1 on grass from 2016-17. But they went 6-9 in the previous four season before that. But they went 14-7 in the five seasons before that. You could say they’re streaky on grass fields.
These streaks paint a clearer picture when it comes to the Pats on grass fields. It’s probably more about the actual teams on the field than the surface they’re playing on. Almost all of their public practices this season have taken place on the lower field outside Gillette Stadium, which is made of grass.
That thing looked pretty beat up on Wednesday. So perhaps the Patriots are getting ready for what’s likely going to be a messy field at Arrowhead on Sunday. But like the weather, the field surface isn’t going to decide the outcome of the game. The players are.
Matt Dolloff is a digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff or email him at [email protected].
