NFL set to play game in Mexico City despite field concerns

The NFL plans to play Monday's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca despite concerns about the poor field conditions, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported.

"We are working closely with the field manager at Azteca Stadium and others to ensure that we have an NFL-quality surface for our game, and we are looking forward to kicking off in Mexico City on Monday night," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said.

The field conditions are reportedly "a mess" due to soccer matches as well as concerts, which raised concern about player safety for the NFL contest.

An official decision is expected this week as to whether the game will be played as scheduled at Mexico City. If the field is deemed unfit for an NFL contest, the game could be moved to Los Angeles or postponed.

The Rams departed for Colorado Springs (Colo.) on Monday as a means to adjust to the high altitude before traveling to Mexico City, where the elevation is about 7,300 feet.

The Chiefs (9-1) and Rams (9-1) are scheduled for a bye in Week 12, therefore it's conceivable that the teams could enter their bye this weekend and play in Mexico City the following week as a means to give the Estadio Azteca grounds crew more time to work on the field.