Final Look At Cowboys-Ravens Field Ahead Of Historic NFL Rio Game

NFL history will be made on Saturday evening when the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens face off in the league's first-ever game in Rio de Janeiro. Dallas is the designated home team for the Week 3 showdown at the iconic Maracana Stadium.

Leading up to kickoff, the main storyline has been the field conditions in Brazil.

There have been several concerns from soccer players in the weeks before the NFL came to town, with complaints about bumps and divots across the turf. That league has been working hard to get conditions up to standard, and NFL Field Director Nick Pappas claimed on Saturday that the field at Maracana met all guidelines.

Despite the league being adamant that the surface was fine and there are no increased risks of player injury, further concerns were raised when a close-up video of the turf went viral.

Workers paint the Dallas Cowboys logo in the end zone at Maracana Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

We won't know exactly how well the field will hold up until players take the field on Sunday evening, but the league continues to push the narrative that everything is fine.

Late Saturday night, Pappas returned with another video to show a final look of the freshly-painted field at Maracana Stadium, which is officially known as Estádio Jornalista Mário Filho, as the sun went down.

Final Look At Maracana Stadium Field Before Cowboys-Ravens Kickoff

Big effort from the crew this week.

Final look ahead of the first @NFLBrasil game in the legendary @maracana stadium. #FromTheField pic.twitter.com/PaHFG1meAf
— Nick Pappas (@NPappas23) September 27, 2026

From a distance the field looks great, and the freshly-painted endzones provide a nice pop of color. With each team having an endzone painted with their name, logo, and primary color, it's giving Super Bowl vibes.

It's just a shame that the field is not going to be Super Bowl quality.

While the league insists the field will be fine and there is no added danger to the players, we can only hold our collective breath. All anyone wants to see is a great game between two exciting teams, so we can walk away from the game talking about football.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Von Miller and teammates pose at Maracana Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The last thing anyone wants is to be talking about avoidable injuries that could impact either team deep into the season.

Kickoff between the Cowboys and Ravens is set for 4:25 p.m. ET on CBS, with legendary play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz being joined by analyst T.J. Watt on the call. Tracy Wolfson will be providing updates from sideline throughout the evening. Let's see where the game takes us.

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