NFL Fans Are Blasting Canada For Crappy Field Conditions In Winnipeg That Caused The Raiders And Packers To Play On 80-Yard Field

You had one goddamn job, Canada.

Just minutes before the Packers/Raiders preseason game in Winnipeg was scheduled to kick off Thursday night, the league announced that the two teams had agreed to make concessions after being unhappy with the field conditions in the south end zone. Field crews put an unstable patch of temporary turf in the end zone where the Canadian Football League goal post normally sits. The CFL puts the goalposts at the goal line as opposed to the back of the end zone for some reason.

(The Raiders being unhappy with field conditions is pretty telling seeing as they play football on a damn baseball field.)

The teams decided to play on a shortened 80-yard field, thus eliminating kickoffs. After a score, the other team would simply take possession at the 15 yard line.

In response to Canada not getting their shit together, Packers coach coach Matt LaFleur sat 33 plays, including Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams.

Rodgers said on the team’s television broadcast that him not playing has “nothing to do with [his sore] back, it’s more the field conditions that we had tonight.”

Here’s a touchdown.

International games have been a nightmare for the NFL. As CBS Sports points out:

Back in November, a Chiefs-Rams game that had been scheduled to be played in Mexico City had to be relocated to Los Angeles due to abysmal field conditions at Estadio Azteca.

NFL fans looking to squeeze the already minimal satisfaction out of a preseason game were less than pleased.

The Raiders won 22-21 but who gives a shit.