The Pittsburgh Steelers made a last-minute push to repair and resod the playing surface at Acrisure Stadium after Week 6 complaints from players on both the Steelers and the Cleveland Browns forced the NFL Players Association to step in.

The work began immediately following the Pitt Panther vs. NC State Wolfpack game, with grounds crews working around the clock to have the field ready for the Steelers vs. Packers game on October 26.

A tweet on X revealed the details, “Literally as the clock hit :00 of the Pitt v. NC State game, the crew of around 20 plus from the Acrisure Stadium grounds crews hit the playing surface to repair it and get it ready for tomorrow night’s Steelers game. They were cutting it, blowing it, raking it and putting new seed down as you can see in the video I just took before leaving the media room just now. This crew busts their butts and has busted their butts to make the playing surface playable each game for years.”

The field conditions at Acrisure Stadium were so poor during Week 6 that players from both teams described them as unplayable. Steelers offensive lineman Broderick Jones was among several players who said they were kicking up chunks of grass when making explosive movements on the field. The dry conditions became particularly problematic late in the game, with the third quarter seeing the worst deterioration of the playing surface.

An NFL spokesperson had acknowledged the concerns and confirmed action had been taken. “The NFL has been in touch with both the union and the club, which has taken steps to replace the grass surface,” NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said Wednesday.

The tweet also covered the grounds crew’s work and highlighted the difficulty of maintaining grass in Pittsburgh’s climate.

“Keep in mind, there is a very important philosophy here you just keep in mind. It’s literally impossible to grow grass in the Northeast in late October and then the winter. It’s scientifically extremely hard to do. It looks like this every fall and winter for 25 years now. The only reason any fans know about this surface is because some media member made a big deal about it three weeks ago. I assure you, it’s been worse. Much worse. Time to relax.”

Acrisure Stadium has dealt with playing surface complaints for years due to its shared usage between the Steelers and Pitt football, along with hosting state high school playoff games later in the season. The facility opened in 2001 and has consistently struggled with grass maintenance as the fall and winter seasons progress. However, despite all the efforts, according to an ESPN reporter, Nick Farabaugh, conditions remained concerning even after the resodding.

“There is dirt flying everywhere and guys slipping on this field. They re-sodded it but it’s certainly something to watch given the talk about it last time out,” the reporter added.

The observation highlighted that newly sodded grass can present challenges different from established playing surfaces.

Aaron Rodgers calls out Acrisure Stadium’s poor conditions

The stadium’s poor conditions finally came into consideration when, on Oct 12, Steelers kicker Chris Boswell slipped during a fourth-quarter field goal attempt and missed the kick after his plant foot gave out on the grass.

Aaron Rodgers called the field conditions “borderline unplayable” and acknowledged the wear and tear it suffered throughout the game.

“I just felt like it got real beat up,” Rodgers said. “By the time the third quarter rolled around, that thing was really beat up, so I feel bad about what happened to Miles. I’m not sure if you know there was any carry there. I know the field gets a lot of play.”

Special teams captain Miles Killebrew suffered a season-ending noncontact knee injury after planting on the deteriorating turf, and the incident prompted Cameron Heyward to speak out about the dangerous conditions.

Heyward, who serves as an NFLPA representative for the Steelers, did not hold back in his assessment of the playing surface.

“Honestly, it was s***,” Heyward said Tuesday. “I lost one of my teammates and kind of makes me sad about it.” When asked if he preferred grass to artificial surfaces, Heyward clarified the distinction. “I like grass, but that wasn’t grass for play,” he said.

The Steelers’ defensive captain emphasized that the quality of the grass matters significantly, regardless of preference for natural over synthetic surfaces. The new grass at Acrisure Stadium will face its first true test on Sunday, with both teams and the NFL watching closely to see if the issues have been resolved.