Steelers Now
Ahead of the recently concluded World Cup that took place across the North American continent, many of the games taking place in NFL stadiums, many NFL fans and players raised their eyebrows when it was announced that every stadium where games were held would have their field surfaces replaced with real grass, as per FIFA standards.
While the World Cup-fueled debate surrounding whether NFL games should primarily be contested on artificial turf or natural grass rages on — with no end in sight — a scheduling quirk will see the Pittsburgh Steelers reap the benefits of mostly avoiding artificial turf in 2026.
The Steelers have always played on natural grass at home since moving to Acrisure Stadium in 2001, but thanks to the way the 2026 NFL schedule falls, just three Pittsburgh games this fall will happen on an artificial surface.
According to a list complied this week by Chad Graff of The Athletic, that’s the fewest number of games played on turf in the NFL this season. Four teams have four games on turf, while the aching bones of the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans will suffer through 15 games on a synthetic surface.
The Steelers will play on turf on Sept. 20 at the New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 15 and Titans on Jan. 3. Last season, the Steelers had six games on turf — at New England, Cincinnati, the Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, New York Jets and Detroit Lions.
NFL players and the National Football Players Association have long been at odds with some team owners over the field surfaces at their stadiums. Many players believe that a real grass surface is better than the artificial turf surfaces that many team owners seem to prefer, especially when it comes to lower leg injuries. According to the NFLPA, 92% of players would prefer to play on grass. Currently, 17 of the 32 teams in the league play their home games on artificial turf.
Of course, not all grass is the same. Acrisure Stadium has had issues with its grass for many years, a lot of which has to do with the wear and tear the surface experiences due to sharing the stadium with Pitt. An amusing example of the terrible field conditions over the years were highlighted in the now infamous game against the Miami Dolphins on Monday, November 26, 2007 which became known as the Monday Night Mud Bowl.
Less amusing was kicker Chris Boswell slipping on a plant that caused him to miss a kick and special teams captain Miles Killebrew suffering a knee injury thanks to shoddy turf conditions in 2025.
Ahead of the 2026 season, Art Rooney II announced that the team will install a new, hybrid grass surface, which has recently been installed.
While the rest of the NFL battles the ongoing turf war, the Steelers should be in good shape to keep their players as protected as anyone in 2026.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: [Schedule...
