Back in 2022, I asked then-Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp whether he had a preference between playing on grass or turf. The answer was obvious, but Kupp looked right into my eyes as if he was waiting months for this question.
“It’s not even close,” Kupp said. “Hands down, we should be playing on grass. Hands down, we should be on grass. And that’s all I’m going to say.”
There was plenty more to say, but Kupp’s conviction was more than enough to get his point across. At the time, a handful of notable players had recently sustained significant knee injuries while playing on turf.
Three years later and not much has changed. About half of the NFL stadiums still play on turf and there have been no signs of potentially changing to grass in the near future. MetLife Stadium continues to be a house of horror for players, who dread competing at the Giants’ and Jets’ home venue, where star receiver Malik Nabers sustained a season-ending knee injury last month. And just last week Packers running back Josh Jacobs injured his knee while his team visited the Giants, though it seems Jacobs avoided a long-term injury.
Even some natural grass fields have caused problems due to lackluster maintenance, with players recently complaining about the conditions at Acrisure Stadium, the home of the Steelers.
Now NFL players are angrier than ever after seeing how much of a priority it is for Real Madrid to maintain its grass field. The iconic soccer club shared a viral video of how its high-tech system transformed the futbol field into a glowing American football meadow for last week’s matchup between the Dolphins and Commanders in the first ever NFL game in Spain.
Let’s look at some of the hot topics around the league, including NFL players potentially using some leverage to take a stand against turf fields.
Enough is enough. It’s time for players to push back against NFL owners, who should be embarrassed about how little they care about the playing conditions they provide for guys who have helped them make billions.
Money can’t be an issue when eight NFL franchises are worth more than Real Madrid, which was worth $6.6 billion, according to Forbes’ 2024 list of the most valuable sports franchises around the world. Twenty-nine out of 32 NFL teams were in the top 50. Expect more of the same when the ’25 rankings are published.
Instead of the NFL owners simply suggesting they’ll at least think about going away from turf, especially with the FIFA World Cup coming to the U.S. next year, the billionaires are more worried about their grades with the NFLPA’s annual report cards. They’re embarrassed about that, but instead of improving their grades, they’re aiming to get rid of the report cards so they’ll stop being exposed about how poorly they treat players on and off the field.
I’m not sure what the right approach is for the players to get well-kept grass fields in every stadium, but they do have some leverage with the NFL pushing for an 18-game season, another area where player safety is overlooked. Extending the NFL season a few years after going to a 17-game schedule should be a nonstarter until the cheap owners dig into their pockets and do exactly what Real Madrid and many other international soccer clubs do to maintain grass fields.
Heck, maybe give draft picks to the NFL owners who have the best grass fields. It seems the only time NFL owners want to do the right thing is when they get extra draft picks. And that’s all I’m going to say, to take a line from Kupp.
Manzano’s view: Fact
Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt
The Chiefs are in ninth place in the AFC, and all three teams in the wild-card spots hold head-to-head tiebreakers over Kansas City. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
It’s now or never for the three-time reigning AFC champions. The end result in Sunday’s showdown against the Colts could certainly decide whether the Chiefs (5–5) make a late playoff push or head down the path for their first losing season since 2012.
If Kansas City defeats Indianapolis, the schedule opens up nicely against Dallas and Houston the following two weeks. That could be enough for the Chiefs to finally establish a rhythm before critical divisional rematches against the Chargers and Broncos. They also get the struggling Raiders and Titans in the final three weeks of the regular season.
But it’s not a given the Chiefs will beat the Colts just because they need the game more. Indianapolis is coming off a bye week and has an explosive offense that could put plenty of pressure on Kansas City’s aging defense and out-of-sorts offense. How the Chiefs look Sunday could be a sign of things to come for the final six games. It wouldn’t be a surprise if K.C. loses to Indy and again to L.A. and Denver. Even the Texans game could be a tough matchup because of their stout defense. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say the Chiefs could either go 8–9 or 11–5, depending on Sunday’s outcome.
These are no longer the same ol’ Chiefs, especially because they’re 0–5 in one-score games this season.
Manzano’s view: Fact
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young
Panthers quarterback Bryce Young set a career-high with 445 passing yards against the Falcons. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
First of all, thanks to my Sports Illustrated colleague Conor Orr for giving me a shoutout in his latest power rankings, where he gave me credit for vouching for the Panthers to win the NFC South in our 2025 predictions for the NFL season preview magazine.
I’ll admit, I’ve lost faith in that pick several times this season for a very inconsistent Panthers (6–5) team. But, hey, they’re right there in the mix, only a half game behind the Buccaneers (6–4) for first place in the NFC South. Also, these two teams play each other twice in the final three weeks of the regular season.
But whenever I show any kind of support for Carolina, whether it’s in my NFL betting column or my weekly picks, this team tends to burn me. I went with the Panthers to beat the Saints in Week 10 and they laid an egg. I sided with the Falcons last week and Bryce Young dropped 448 passing yards and three touchdowns to put his team over .500.
Maybe the Panthers make it up to me by winning the division, but I’ll go the reverse jinx route here and say they don’t surpass the Buccaneers, who could regroup with a feasible schedule after playing the Rams on Sunday.
Manzano’s view: Fiction
I can’t believe people had an issue with Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo for getting into a scuffle with WWE superstar Dominik Mysterio and his Judgement Day entourage not long after Skattebo sustained a season-ending leg injury.
I’m sure Skattebo has been rehabbing and doing what he’s supposed to do to get back on the field next season. Everyone needs to relax and let Skattebo enjoy himself and continue building a brand for himself, which is wise for a fourth-round pick.
Skattebo didn’t do much besides mean mug and shove JD McDonagh after he told him and the rest of the Giants players in attendance, “Are you guys going to play defense for the first time this season?”
Absolute gold. Well done, all around.
Manzano’s view: Fiction
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