Carolina Panthers face cautious return to turf at Detroit Lions
The Carolina Panthers make a return to the turf in Detroit this weekend.
Carolina Panthers tight end Greg Olsen was injured last year against Buffalo, missing his first time in over a decade of football. The broken bone in his foot wasn’t season ending but a return was centered around the surface games were being played on, as natural grass provides less stress on his condition.
Fast forward to 2018 and following an entire offseason of rest and rehabilitation, the favorite target of quarterback Cam Newton was poised for a return to greatness. Unfortunately, Olsen stepped on the foot of a Dallas defender opening week and found himself sidelined again after aggravating the injury.
The good news being Carolina wasn’t slated to play on any artificial surface until Week 11, a fact that allowed Olsen to return without any hesitation. The Panthers did play on synthetic turf in Atlanta during Week 2, but Olsen was out, having recently been injured as Carolina lost 31-24 to their divisional rival.
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A quality playing surface has recently been highlighted in the NFL as the league moved the upcoming Monday night game, scheduled to be played in Mexico City, back to Los Angeles. The Rams and Chiefs game was changed despite efforts to correct the natural grass surface damaged from recent rainfall, soccer games and a concert.
Issues that typically would not cause a problem on an artificial field, but the Panthers hesitation comes more from a health standpoint than a fear of injury. Carolina lost their most recent game on turf and are 14-13-1 playing on fake grass during coach Ron Rivera‘s tenure.
Olsen hasn’t played on a fake surface since an appearance in New Orleans during the playoff game last season. In a losing effort, Olsen finished with eight catches for 107 yards and a touchdown.
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The Panthers and Lions are scheduled to kick off on Sunday (Week 11) at 1:00pm EST.