Ravens HC John Harbaugh discusses field conditions in Week 8 vs. Cardinals

The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Arizona Cardinals by the final score of 31-24 in Week 8 of the 2023 season. The victory moved the team to 6-2 on the year, and put them in a four-way tie for first place in the AFC with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Miami Dolphins.

A major factor in the team’s win against the Cardinals was the condition of the field in Arizona. Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh was asked about the conditions and if they affected play-calling, to which he said it’s more-so the players’ responsibility to take care of that aspect of the game.

“It’s the players’ responsibility to kind of work on that as much as they can. You can’t really overthink it from a play-calling standpoint. You have to account for it with the cleats and the guys understanding that in situations. There were a couple of rain games [yesterday]; Wasn’t the Pittsburgh game rainy and stormy? So, you just have to keep your feet underneath yourself as an athlete. Our guys did a good job for the most part. There were a few plays where we slipped, no doubt. It’s a different kind of grass. They bring it in. It’s nice. It was [a] good, safe field, but it’s a little slicker. [In London] we had the Tottenham [Hotspur] practice field [which] was way slicker than that, so that was good practice for us, on a slick field. They adjusted [to] it from Wednesday to Thursday, so that’s something that you talk to your guys about, and a few guys changed their shoes and things like that. But that’s something you really do have to think about. It’s very important to have good footing.”