The NFL is now bracing for yet another international game as the Dallas Cowboys will play the Baltimore Ravens in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday, September 27. After the Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson touched South American soil, he posted a video of the streets on his Instagram story. It immediately left the fans worrying about how safe the new setting will be for Jackson. 

Jackson’s Instagram story was shared by a fan account, with the username JacksonMuse on X on September 25.

“Lamar Jackson rolling through Brazil 🇧🇷,” read the caption. 

In the comments section, fans quickly huddled up to alert Jackson on how to stay safe in Brazil. After all, the fans have not forgotten how tight the security had been when the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers faced off during the NFL’s first game in Brazil in 2024.

“Week 1, I can’t wait,” then Eagles star cornerback Darius Slay said on the Big Play Slay podcast. “But man, I do not wanna go to Brazil… They already told us not to leave the hotel. They told us we can’t do too much because the crime rate is crazy. I’m like NFL, why would you wanna send us somewhere with a crime rate this high? I told my family do not come down there.”

And NFL did act upon it. With São Paulo state government’s help, hundreds of civilian and military officers were deployed around NeoQuimica Arena.

But this time the players are not that concerned, even though it will be the first time an NFL game will be played in Rio, with the last two games being hosted by São Paulo.

We have seen how Jackson is vibing to a song while traveling through Rio de Janeiro, even after taking a 10-hour flight from Baltimore. The Ravens head coach, Jesse Minter, has kept things pretty simple as they traveled overseas for a game for the first time since they met the Tennessee Titans in London in 2023.

“Yeah, so, you know, there’s a, basically a, a 10-hour window of time you’re kind of committing to being on an airplane with this trip. And so there’s a few different ways you can do it,” he shared. “We feel like going, trying to get our normal two days in here from, from a major prep standpoint, as much as we can, travel there, kind of realizing that you know, the sleep might not be quite like a normal night.”

Just like Jackson and his teammates, the Cowboys players, too, are excited about playing in Brazil. 

“I’ve never been to Brazil. Super excited,” shared George Pickens. “The first thing I’m thinking about is to see if we got fans out there.”

Although Pickens and Jackson appeared excited and happy, fans expressed their concern, especially for the Ravens QB in the comment section of Jackson’s story.

“Hope he has security with him. Yikes,” wrote a fan.

“STAY IN THE HOTEL LAMAR!!!! STAY IN THE HOTEL!!” said another fan.

“Please don’t drink the local water only drink if it’s a water bottle,” reminded a fan.

“I don’t know who the f*** thought it would be a good idea to play the NFL in Brazil,” read a comment.

“? Jesus stay in the hotel. What is the nfl doing w this? They think south america is sweet? As a south american i can say those streets arent a joke,” wrote another fan.

“he gotta be safe out there,” alerted a fan.

“Stay safe brotha,” wrote a concerned fan.

While the fans are worried about the safety and security of the players in Brazil, there lies another big concern. 

“There have been a lot of questions about the field surface in Brazil, and I wanted to provide the NFLPA’s perspective,” NFLPA president JC Tretter shared. “Our number one priority is the health and safety of our players. The concern heading into this week was that the field would be loose, patchy, and lead to excessive slipping. Those conditions are generally more of a playability and performance issue than a significant injury concern.”

Fans will soon find out how Rio has treated the NFL teams.