LONDON – The Buffalo Bills emphasized that they would not make excuses for their defeat.
But NFL players view artificial turf as a league-wide safety issue, and after several players were injured in the locker room against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, the Bills were unhappy with the quality of the surface.
While not every Bills injury is turf-related, All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano (knee, lower leg) went down in the first quarter and was out of action for at least the day. Jaguars left tackle Walker Little (knee) also went down in the first quarter and did not return.
Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins, defensive tackle Ed Oliver, edge rushers Leonard Floyd and Kingsley Jonathan and nickelback Taron Johnson needed coaches to look after them on the field at various points, but all went back in.
Johnson called the artificial turf “horrible” and said there was talk in the locker room about the turf being a problem.
“Take out that lawn, especially that one,” Johnson said. “I prefer playing on grass. I’m sure 90 to 100 percent of players in the NFL would prefer to play on grass. I don’t know why we play with things like this.
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“There were injuries on the field today, some of them really, really bad. I just feel like the grass has something to do with it.”
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium features a grass pitch that can be rolled in and out of the arena – similar to what the Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders do – and then covered with an artificial turf-like carpet. It’s a Hellas “soft top” surface, the same one the Dallas Cowboys have at AT&T Stadium.
Bills receiver Stefon Diggs let out a profanity and then paused for seven seconds when asked what he thought of the field. “It was all right. That’s all I’m going to say,” Diggs said with a grin. He then added that he will play on whatever surface the NFL tells him to play.
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Dawkins said the field was “strange.”
Linebacker Terrel Bernard added, “It is what it is.” Bernard tried to describe “what it is,” laughed and repeated the same five words.
Johnson collapsed on the wrong floor with 5:29 left in the third quarter. He lay curled up on his side, thinking his season was over. The casualty car came onto the field.
“This lawn is terrible,” Johnson said. “My foot got stuck in the ground but I’m fine. Thank God.
“It was harder than usual, as if it hadn’t been used. I’m not saying that’s an excuse (for the loss), but I know that’s why I kept my foot in the ground.”
Bills fans roared as Johnson sent the car packing and left the field with trainers. “I did some tests on it and they felt like everything was good,” Johnson said.
Johnson’s scare came in a game in which Buffalo had already lost its two best cornerbacks. Tre’Davious White suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon last week. Christian Benford was unable to play on Sunday due to a shoulder injury.
(Photo: Peter van den Berg / USA Today)