Players blame football fields, themselves as they slip and slide through the NFL's opening weekend

So many players had trouble with their footing on the NFL's opening weekend.

It began with Isaiah Likely's touchdown-negating toe-tap at the back of the end zone at Arrowhead Stadium and continued throughout a waxy weekend that featured the Eagles and Packers slipping and sliding their way around Sao Paulo's Corinthians Arena soccer pitch as the league expanded its global footprint with its debut in Latin America's largest country.

Even games stateside also had their share of missteps, even those played indoors such as the one at Ford Field, where the Lions blamed themselves and not the turf after stumbling their way to an overtime win against the Rams.

The Lions might have won it in regulation if not for a trio of slip-ups on their final drive that ended with a field goal.

Jared Goff sailed a would-be touchdown throw over the head of Jahmyr Gibbs, who stumbled as he ran open in the Rams' secondary with about a minute remaining. Amon-Ra St. Brown lost his footing on an incompletion two plays later and Kalif Raymond fell down on a third down misfire before Jake Bates' field goal tied it.

After the Lions found their footing in overtime for a 26-20 win, Detroit wide receiver Jameson Williams suggested the issue wasn't a slippery surface but the rusty Lions themselves.

Practicing on grass and with so many vets sitting out the preseason, it takes some time to get reacclimated to the artificial grass, Williams said.

The problem ran deeper in Brazil, where the converted soccer field was covered with divots by halftime of Philadelphia's 34-29 win over Green Bay.

Saquon Barkley, who otherwise shined in his Eagles debut, slipped for a 5-yard loss on his first carry for Philadelphia.

Packers receiver Christian Watson missed out on a touchdown catch when he slipped in the end zone and Green Bay running back Emanuel Wilson fell on the seat of his pants as he tried to cut after a 14-yard gain.

When Jordan Love got hurt in his first game since signing a $220 million contract extension, newly acquired backup Malik Willis came in for one final play but slipped in the pocket and was sacked by Zack Baun before he could even heave a desperation pass.

With players on both sides of the ball falling on just about every play, former NFL star J.J. Watt chimed in with a post on social media that said: “Soccer fields are made for speed and agility. Smaller bodies gliding across the surface with minimal contact. They are not properly conditioned to have the size & strength of NFL players cutting, pushing and driving all game on them. This is common at international games.”

In Kansas City, where Taylor Swift and other Chiefs fans are hoping for a Super Bowl three-peat, they watched the opener come down to a different kind of footing issue.

Just as Ravens coach John Harbaugh was calling for a 2-point attempt to try to beat the back-to-back champs, video clearly showed Likely’s right big toe on the white endline — the tight end was wearing black cleats — nullifying his touchdown with no time left and leaving the Chiefs 27-20 victors in the 2024 NFL kickoff.

Patrick Mahomes had a friendly message for Likely afterward.

“You have to wear white cleats next time,” Mahomes cracked.

Had Likely worn white shoes as his teammate Roquan Smith did, the TV cameras almost certainly would have still shown he was on the endline, but his black cleats gave him no chance of getting away with it at all.

Tongue-in-cheek or not, it's actually sound advice from Mahomes, suggested Broncos kicker Wil Lutz, who was on the wrong end of something similar eight years ago in New Orleans.

While the league allows black cleats or even cleats featuring a team color, wearing white shoes “does make a difference because it’s got to be conclusive evidence for it to be overturned, or for it to be confirmed, one of the two,” said Lutz. “If you're wearing black they can clearly see it.”

It’s just like players wearing white gloves can get away with holding a white jersey easier than they can if they’re wearing dark colored gloves, Lutz noted.

Lutz had an up-close view the last time cleat color played such a prominent role in the final score. It was Nov. 10, 2016, in a game between his current team, the Broncos, and his former team, the Saints.

New Orleans had just tied the game late, but Lutz's extra point attempt was blocked by Justin Simmons and scooped up by Will Parks, who raced 84 yards down the Saints' sideline for the first game-winning defensive 2-point conversion in NFL history.

The Saints swore he stepped out of bounds at about the 35-yard line, but the play was upheld as officials couldn’t verify the claim because his white cleats blended in with the white sideline and no camera angles were available to prove otherwise.

Games can come down to the strangest of things.

Color choice, a slip here, a trip there.

Even a big toe.

This story has been corrected to reflect the proper spelling of Saquon Barkley in the 9th paragraph and Zack Baun in the 11th paragraph.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) takes a moment after scoring a one-yard touchdown run against the Los Angeles Rams during overtime in an NFL football game in Detroit, Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (26) is tackled by Green Bay Packers linebacker Eric Wilson (45) during the first half of an NFL football game, Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at the Neo Quimica Arena in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Gregory Payan)

Players blame football fields, themselves as they slip and slide through the NFL's opening weekend

Baltimore Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely (80) catches a pass with his toe out of bounds as Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton and linebacker Drue Tranquill, left, defend as time time expires in the second half of an NFL football game Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs won 27-20.(AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Players blame football fields, themselves as they slip and slide through the NFL's opening weekend

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen is expected to unveil the members of her new team for the next five-year tenure at the head of the bloc on Tuesday.

But it has been a tumultuous ride to get it ready for office — the search for the 26 members of her college was chaotic and scandal-ridden even before the parliament is to start hearings on whether to accept each proposed candidate.

French heavyweight Thierry Breton resigned and openly criticized von der Leyen for allegedly “questionable governance” on Monday and accused her of backroom machinations to oust him.

Many saw his shock resignation more as a removal by von der Leyen of one of her most open internal critics after exerting pressure on French authorities.

Compounding such problems was the defiance of many of the 27 member states as von der Leyen struggled to get anywhere close to gender parity on her Commission team — they staunchly refused to give her a choice between a male and a female candidate.

After days of secret talks with individual European governments about their picks, von der Leyen huddled with the leaders of the political groups at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, to discuss the makeup of her college.

Her full announcement was expected later Tuesday.

Even if the Commission's makeup has hardly become the talk of bar rooms or barber shops across the vast EU of 450 million people, it has enthralled the upper echelons of politics and bureaucracy, as they sought to boost one candidate or undermine another.

The Commission proposes legislation for the EU’s 27 member countries and ensures that the rules governing the world’s biggest trading bloc are respected. It’s made up of a College of Commissioners with a range of portfolios similar to those of government ministers, including agriculture, economic, competition, security and migration policy.

The Commission is to start work on Nov. 1, but speculation is rife that it might not get down to business before January.

A former German defense minister, von der Leyen has been pressing smaller countries to change their minds. In recent weeks, a man who was the preferred candidate of the government in Slovenia withdrew and a woman was proposed in his place.

She decides which country gets which portfolio, and some of them, like those involving trade or finance or EU enlargement, are coveted by certain countries. Plum jobs like the post of vice president — the commission has seven of these — are also much sought after.

FILE - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, second right, speaks with from left, European Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton and European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi during a meeting of the College of Commissioners at EU headquarters in Brussels, on June 17, 2022. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)