With the Super Bowl less than a week away, the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs have arrived in Las Vegas in preparation for the big game. According to NFL rules, the NFC team, the 49ers, are considered the away team this year, resulting in them practicing at UNLV. Meanwhile, the AFC team, the Chiefs, will practice at the Raiders’ facilities. However, San Francisco staffers are unsatisfied with the UNLV’s practice field. Per CBS NFL insider Jonathan Jones, the 49ers are ‘unhappy’ with the condition of this week’s practice field, citing an issue with the firmness of the league’s natural grass over UNLV’s artificial turf.
Sources tell @CBSSports the 49ers Super Bowl practice field measured a bit soft for their liking last week. The field passes all safety tests, but SF’s preference is for it to be firmer. They have a walkthrough on it today and will determine next steps https://t.co/e4bkFjO9y7
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) February 5, 2024
Jones reports that a group representing the 49ers felt the grass designated for the team held too soft. Sources known to Jones state that the issue is preference-related and has nothing to do with health and safety.
San Francisco 49ers: Exploring New Practice Field Options
The 49ers are exploring new practice field options with their current unhappiness with the soft UNLV turf. They can remain at UNLV despite their displeasure, they can bring in and install new, firmer sod, or they can negotiate with the NFL to share the Las Vegas Raiders facility with the Kansas City Chiefs. The current grass at UNLV passed the NFL’s “Clegg” test, which measures firmness.
Playing conditions have long been a topic of debate among NFL players. Artificial turf has gained a bad reputation, with players continuing to trash it for how they feel after performing. Additionally, some players have voiced that synthetic turf can cause more injuries, although joint studies with the NFL Players Association suggest little difference in the playing conditions.
49ers: Facing Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII
On Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers will play the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. The 49ers are a slight favorite over the Chiefs despite needing to come back to win their previous two playoff games. San Francisco has rode former seventh-round quarterback Brock Purdy to the Super Bowl, with the gunslinger throwing for two touchdowns against one pick this postseason. He has completed nearly 70% of his passes.
Meanwhile, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes is going for his third Super Bowl victory. He has thrown four touchdowns against no picks in three postseason starts.
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