MEXICO CITY, NOVEMBER 19: Fans do the wave during a break in action between the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders in their 2017 NFL Mexico Game at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Nov. 19, 2017. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images).
Whatever the league’s true motives, it got the decision on where to play the most highly anticipated game of 2018 so far right.
While the NFL has rightfully taken some flak in recent years about its actions not matching its words when it comes to player safety, in the case of the upcoming Monday Night Football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams, the league is doing the right thing.
After serious concerns about the condition of the field at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City arose, numerous fans and journalists wondered if the heavily hyped showdown between two one-loss teams should be moved.
As it turns out, that’s exactly what will happen to the MNF tilt, with Adam Schefter among the first to tweet out the news that the game will instead be played in Los Angeles.
It’s possible that the NFL felt pressured into the decision after reports arose that some Chiefs and Rams players were considering not playing in Mexico City citing injury concerns. No one should go overboard applauding the league when it may have just weighed angry fans in Mexico versus outraged team supporters at home (not to mention the NFLPA) and figured that punting on Estadio Azteca was the lesser of two PR evils.
Still, with the league so obviously thirsty to continue expanding its footprint in markets where it isn’t already the top pro sport, saying “sorry, but no” to Mexico City for such a high profile contest is no small thing. Regardless of how it arrived there, the NFL made the responsible call, the one it needed to make in the name of player safety, and that’s a good thing.
The Rams will now host the Chiefs at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Monday, Nov. 19 to finish off Week 11 of the NFL season.