The NFL Players Association pressed for changes regarding Acrisure Stadium's field after several players got hurt during the Steelers-Browns game. Union leaders contacted the NFL about the field's poor condition.
Miles Killebrew, a key special teams player, hurt his knee on the shaky turf. Later, kicker Chris Boswell slipped and missed an important fourth-quarter field goal try.
"It's s---," said Steelers captain Cameron Heyward to ESPN.
Teams began putting down new grass right after the game ended. They need to finish before the Packers come to play on October 26.
While Mike Tomlin admitted the field wasn't great, his players noticed spots where grass came up during normal plays.
The field faces tough challenges from heavy use. Having both NFL Steelers and University of Pittsburgh games makes upkeep difficult, even though no games happened the week before.
Stats show injury rates were similar on real grass and artificial turf last year. Actually, fewer knee injuries happened on fake grass.
Players have called this grass field one of the NFL's worst since it opened in 2001. Rain once turned it into a notorious "mud pit" during a 2007 game.
Ben Roethlisberger, who used to play quarterback, said Pitt should build its own stadium to help the field last longer. The current setup makes it hard for workers to keep the grass nice for both teams.
Though they've improved the seats, WiFi, and food stands, players keep worrying about the dangerous field.
The players union wants tougher rules for fields at all NFL stadiums. They're looking at different playing surfaces to keep players safer.
