The 4-1 Pittsburgh Steelers swept their first AFC North win, sending the Cleveland Browns home with a 23-9 defeat. As everyone entered the Acrisure Stadium on Sunday, the condition of its playing field was hard to ignore– It was very sandy, roughed up, breaking around the 30-yard lines, and bald in the middle. 

Although during the broadcast, CBS sideline reporter Evan Washburn noted that the ground staff was supposed to replace the sod after the game, Steelers reporter Brooke Pryor had an instant update.

“The re-sodding process is already underway at Acrisure Stadium,” Pryor wrote.

Attached to the tweet was an image of several people working to remove the old sod right after the game was over. Both the CFB team Pitt Panthers, and the Steelers will have road games, which will give the new grass time to set in better until their next game. But in this game, the impact was obvious at times.

One moment came when Steelers kicker, Chris Boswell, prepared to add two extra points on a 1 & 10 with less than 4 minutes left in the game. As he kicked the ball, his ground foot punctured into the soil, and he slipped, leaving the kick short. Thankfully, he left the field without any injury and also did not mention anything about the surface after the win.

Before this, special teams ace Miles Killebrew suffered a possible season-ending right knee injury in the second quarter, which may or may not be caused by the grass surface’s condition. However, the veteran QB, Aaron Rodgers, didn’t shy away from publicly complaining about the condition to add urgency to the matter.

“It got really beat up,” the QB said, via the team website. “By the time the third quarter rolled around, that thing was really beat up. So I feel bad about what happened to Miles (Killebrew). I’m not sure if there was any carry there.

“I know the field gets a lot of play. I don’t know why anybody wouldn’t wear seven studs. You know, cleats, some guys are opposed to that, is one of where mold is, but it reminds me a little bit of the field in Green Bay in the early years, but not until like November, early December, where it gets kind of torn up a little bit.”

Of course, Rodgers, with his 20 years of experience in the NFL, is no stranger to bad playing surfaces. However, it is only October, and with the Steelers on pace to host a home playoff game, the condition needs to improve already.

According to reports, Pittsburgh has been in a moderate drought, according to the National Weather Service. It has received only 0.41 inches of precipitation so far this month, compared to an average of 2.83 inches for the entirety of October, which may have affected the condition. The grass surface in the Acrisure Stadium has always been notorious for being slippery, especially when new.

But it is not the only upgrade that the stadium will see.

Three days before the game, reports came out that the Stadium was undergoing a $17 million revamp, which will also include changing some seats. The project was undertaken as the Steel City prepares to host the 2026 NFL draft. 

The Steelers still have six more home regular-season games this year. For now, their QB is enjoying his first AFC North win as a Steeler.

Aaron Rodgers addressed the Steelers’ first AFC North win of the season

The quarterback has spent 18 seasons in the NFC North with the Green Bay Packers. Sunday’s game against the Browns was his first AFC North matchup and win. The 41-year-old quarterback completed 21 of 30 passes for 235 yards and two touchdowns in the 23-9 win over Cleveland. After the game, Rodgers discussed his first AFC North taste with Washburn after the latter asked him about the win.

“I’ve been in the North for a long time, so I know what kind of football gets played in both the AFC North and NFC North,” Rodgers said. “This felt like it. A little overcast, windy, the field’s kind of torn up a little bit. But there’s great rivalries in this North, just like in the other one, and I’m happy to be a part of it.”

The Steelers successfully carried the momentum from their Week 4 win over the Minnesota Vikings into Week 6. Rodgers understands the significance of these AFC North matchups as the Steelers seek their first division title since 2020, making Sunday’s victory over the Browns especially meaningful. The Steelers continue to lead Cleveland 85-64-1 in all-time head-to-head.