For the second consecutive week, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is hosting an NFL game, as the Ravens and Titans square off in London.
LIVE: Updates, highlights as Ravens take on Titans in final NFL London game of 2023
The venue made headlines last week — but for all the wrong reasons. With a number of injuries occurring during the Bills vs. Jaguars game, the playing surface was a hot topic after the contest.
The discussion around turf vs. grass has increased during the 2023 season. Travis Kelce suffered a non-contact injury on turf last week in Minnesota that caused a buzz about playing surfaces, and the vocal displeasure from members of the London game last week make it a focal point again in Week 6.
MORE: Which NFL stadiums use grass vs. artificial turf?
It's the last game that will be played at the stadium this season, as the NFL's last two international games are located in Germany. But Tottenham Stadium could be all the talk early on Sunday morning.
Tottenham Stadium turf injuries
It was a bad day for injuries last week in London during the Bills vs. Jaguars contest.
Buffalo had multiple members of its defense go down with injuries during their 25-20 loss, including All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano, who is "likely" to miss the rest of the season. Starting defensive tackle DaQuan Jones left the game and did not return, and linebacker Von Miller saw his day end early after playing in his first game since tearing his ACL last Thanksgiving.
Bills cornerback Taron Johnson was vocal about his frustrations with the conditions after the game. He did not hold back when suggesting that the playing surface at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium played a part in all of the ailments.
"I think that turf is terrible," Johnson said. "My foot got stuck in the ground, but I'm OK, thank God. Take that turf out, especially that one."
Johnson had briefly exited the Week 5 game with a knee injury, at first being ruled questionable to return before coming back to finish the contest.
The Buffalo secondary member was blunt when discussing the argument of playing on grass vs. artificial turf.
"I'd rather play on grass," Johnson said. "I'm sure 90 to 100 percent of the players in the NFL would rather play on grass so I don't know why we're playing on stuff like that.
"There were injuries on the field today, some really really bad. So I just feel like the turf had something to do with it."
The Buffalo News' Ryan O'Halloran reported that an unnamed Bills player was asked: "We came all the way over to London to play on f— cement?"
The situation remained in the Bills' thoughts days after the game. Miller said on the Pat McAfee Show Thursday that it "was some of the worst turf that I've played on."
"I really couldn't believe that we had high class athletes playing on that turf in London..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) October 12, 2023
I've been playing in the league for thirteen years and that was some of the worst turf that I've played on" ~ @VonMiller #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/Wmn0Js7jdk
It wasn't just Buffalo either. The Jaguars suffered a handful of injuries as well, as wide receiver Zay Jones re-aggravated a knee injury and offensive lineman Walker Little left the game with a knee injury.
Is Tottenham Stadium real grass?
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium does have real grass. The venue uses Desso GrassMaster, a type of hybrid grass for sporting surfaces, for its soccer matches.
However, for the NFL, the playing surface gets an entire overload — literally — and artificial turf is put in for any football games played at the stadium.
Simply Majestic... ⚽️ to 🏈 at @SpursStadium is a delightful watch 😍 pic.twitter.com/Bfr18RZxCA
— NFL UK (@NFLUK) October 7, 2023
So while the venue does have grass as an option, it is not what is being used by the NFL for the international contests.
MORE: NFL, NFLPA spar about stadium playing surfaces after Aaron Rodgers injury
Who plays at Tottenham Stadium?
Tottenham Stadium is home to Tottenham Hotspur, a Premier League soccer club based out of London.
The facility is fairly new, as it opened in April of 2019. It is the third largest soccer stadium in England and is the largest club ground in London, with the capability to host over 61,000 fans.
