London just finished its 2026 NFL regular season schedule, but the conversation around the Jacksonville Jaguars vs. the Houston Texans will certainly linger for weeks, if not years, to come. The rain at Wembley Stadium made life difficult for players during the Week 6 matchup. Fresh off a rainstorm, the slippery grass affected movement on both sides of the ball, concerning the players on both teams.

Houston’s wide receiver Nico Collins even switched to cleats with longer spikes in an attempt to get better traction. Tight end Dalton Schultz slipped just short of the first-down marker on a third-down reception, forcing the Texans to kick a field goal. But as the field issues kept piling up as the game unfolded, the players were not the only ones struggling to keep their footing.

In fact, one of the officials, Larry Smith, went down with a non-contact injury and was carted off the field. The scenes during the broadcast from London didn’t look good.

As per the visuals, Smith slipped as he was jogging to retrieve the football for the next play after a run by the Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence. As the field appeared to be wet following the rain, he fell backward while moving between plays. While Larry certainly tried to get back up, he went down again.

Medical staff rushed to assist him, while the trainers from both the Jaguars and Texans attended to him on the field. Smith was ultimately carted off the field, as he was unable to put weight on his left leg. Meanwhile, the play was stopped after he suffered an apparent lower-leg injury.

Larry Smith is a full-time school principal in Kansas City. But when he’s not at school, he typically works near the offensive line, monitors blocking, holding, illegal contact involving linemen, and other infractions in the interior of the formation. Smith is currently in the second NFL season of his career after previously working in college and the USFL.

But after Larry was carted off the field, the officiating crew was left with just six officials rather than the usual seven. Under the NFL’s established six-officials mechanics, the remaining crew adjusts its responsibilities, with referee Shawn Hochuli taking on additional duties normally handled by Smith. ESPN rules analyst Russell Yurk further explained how Smith’s loss affected the officiating crew:

“So there will be a six-man mechanics now without an umpire. Everybody else will stay in their same position. It’s just going to be a lot more work for the referee having a whole line of scrimmage for potential holds.”

But once Smith fell to the ground, the scene became difficult to watch, especially for the officiating crew. As Smith lay on the turf, line judge Carl Johnson approached his colleague, knelt beside him, and appeared to pray for him. The emotional moment unfolded amid a season in which NFL officials had faced mounting scrutiny and controversy through the first six weeks.

So far, officiating has become a recurring storyline for three main reasons: controversial calls that affected crucial moments, officials getting into confrontations with players, and growing questions about accountability. Take the Week 3 matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens, for instance.

With 23 seconds remaining and Baltimore leading by three points, Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins was flagged for defensive pass interference while defending CeeDee Lamb near the goal line. The penalty gave Dallas a first down at the Baltimore 2-yard line. Former NFL referee and CBS rules analyst Gene Steratore said he thought Lamb had grabbed and pulled Wiggins, and that offensive pass interference should have been called instead. Dallas tied the game, but Baltimore subsequently won 34-31 on a field goal as time expired.

A week later, things escalated, prompting the league to interfere. During the Arizona Cardinals‘ game against the New York Giants, line judge Jeff Seeman was caught on camera appearing to swear at Cardinals tight end Trey McBride. Subsequently, the league suspended Seeman for two games for unprofessional conduct toward a player.

At the same time, the NFL also suspended Adrian Hill for one game after he appeared to shout at Minnesota Vikings linebacker Eric Wilson after he collided with Hill. So it’s safe to say that the officials have been the talk of the town during the 2026 season. But this time, however, after Larry Smith went down with a non-contact injury, things have taken a sharper turn.

London just had a poor playing experience for the players

The Sunday Board, using a forecast updated on Saturday, October 17, predicted breezy conditions around kickoff, temperatures near 54°F, and no precipitation during its estimated game window. At the same time, the weather forecast also listed chances of heavy rain. And that’s exactly what went down during the Jaguars vs. Texans matchup, as the Week 6 game was affected by the wet field.

While Larry Smith suffered a leg injury, players from both teams struggled to find their footing.

“You mentioned the footing,” reported Molly McGrath from the sideline. “There was a rainstorm pregame and this natural grass field is really slick […] Texans wide receiver Nico Collins was complaining to his coaches that it’s way too slippery out there. A lot of guys are getting grass stuck up in their cleats so they’re trying to rub it off on the sidelines. Collins actually changed his cleats to longer spikes.”

Meanwhile, NFL legend and two-time Super Bowl champion Asante Samuel took a dig at the league for allowing players to play on such fields.

“How does a widely successful company like the NFL continue to put athletes on these terrible fields risking players health???” Samuel wrote on X.

But it’s not the first time the NFL London games have received criticism from players. While the reasons may differ, it’s safe to say that the players certainly have mixed reactions while playing in London. For instance, when the Jaguars played the Buffalo Bills at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2023 and called out the league for artificial turf due to multiple injuries.

LB Matt Milano (knee) and LT Walker Little (knee) went down in the first quarter of the matchup, while multiple players including LT Dion Dawkins, DT Ed Oliver, edge rushers Leonard Floyd and Kingsley Jonathan, and nickelback Taron Johnson, needed trainers during the game.

As for the Week 6 matchup, the Texans eventually won the game 34-31 on a game-ending 49-yard field goal by kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn.

Ultimately, the incidents at Wembley have renewed questions about player safety and the conditions NFL athletes are expected to compete in during international games. While London remains an important part of the league’s global expansion, concerns over slippery grass, injury risks, and playing surfaces cannot be overlooked.