PITTSBURGH -- Aaron Rodgers didn’t mince words after the Steelers’ new grass field survived a weekend stress test and came out looking solid.
The Pittsburgh Panthers and UCF Knights had already taken the surface through thunderstorms on Saturday night, which raised the obvious question heading into the Steelers-Falcons game: would Acrisure Stadium’s field be a mess by Sunday?
Rodgers said no, and he sounded more than satisfied.
“I will say, whoever is doing the field, bravo,” Rodgers said. “Bravo. It is much better.”
That’s a sharp turnaround from last year, when Rodgers had described the grass field as “unplayable” at points. This time, the quarterback’s assessment was simple: the work done on the new surface was a clear improvement.
Special teams coordinator Danny Crossman said the specialists did notice some softer spots, but he added that kind of thing comes with grass fields. His overall view matched Rodgers’ in the end.
“I think they did an outstanding job with the field. There was a couple spots that were a little bit softer than others.
But from what happened on Saturday and how the field played on Sunday, I thought they did an outstanding job. The field, I don’t think had anything to do with anybody’s missed kicks,” Crossman said.
The Steelers installed Tahoma 31 Bermuda in the offseason, a blend of Bermuda and bluegrass. It’s the same grass used at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, where Temple also plays, and it’s also in place at Soldier Field in Chicago. Like those venues, Acrisure Stadium has to handle more than one team using the surface.
That change came after the Steelers’ Week 6 game in 2025 against the Cleveland Browns drew heavy criticism, with the field’s condition showing up in the NFLPA report cards and Acrisure Stadium’s playing surface earning an F-.
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Steelers Week 1 Usage Raised Some Early Lineup Questions
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The usage patterns do not settle many questions so much as they open them up. Reduced workloads for Watt and Heyward can be explained plenty of ways in a season opener, but they still stand out when paired with the near every-snap roles for Ramsey and Wilson and the tight end-heavy approach on offense. For a team trying to sort out its weekly identity early, the first-round of snap counts offered a clearer view of who the Steelers trust right away and a few more spots where the rotation still feels unsettled. [Read more 🡒]