‘I needed an IV’: shoes melt as turf temperature reaches 157F in Eagles-Titans game
The Tennessee Titans were happy to get off the field on Sunday, and not just because they lost their second game in a row.
Amid sweltering conditions in Nashville, the temperature on the artificial turf at Nissan Stadium reached 157F (69.4C), according to the Fox broadcast.
“It was hot as shit, everybody was as hot as shit,” Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said after his team’s 24-20 win. “I didn’t play a snap and I had to get an IV. I … appreciate how much the players fought through because it wasn’t easy.”
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Nashville was under a heat warning for Sunday’s game, which kicked off at noon local time. The air temperature was 95F (35C) with a heat index of 105F (40.5C). However, inside the bowl of the stadium the surface of the artificial turf was much hotter.
Eagles offensive lineman Jordan Mailata said the temperatures were another reason for the players union to push for a ban on artificial turf.
“I’ve never thought about how hot a stadium can be if it’s turf. [The heat] just sits there and bounces up into you,” Mailata said. “[The union] have got to bring it up. This is why we want all grass fields, to create a standard of play in the league where we’re not putting players in dangerous positions if we don’t have to.”
The Fox broadcast showed water being poured on players’ shoes to keep them cool, and Mailata’s teammate Cam Jurgens said he had to replace his cleats several times because they melted.
“Half-time was like a Nascar pit crew helping me get ready for the second half,” Jurgens said. “That turf was just radiating.”
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Conditions were also tough last week in Tennessee’s season opener against the New York Jets. In that game, Titans safety Amani Hooker said the midsole on one of his shows “melted completely off”.
ESPN reported that some players and staff had questioned why the league scheduled an afternoon kickoff in September in a city known for its hot and humid conditions. There has been attention in recent years on college players who have died while training in high temperatures, and former Eagles safety Reed Blankenship had to leave a game in 2024 with a heat-related illness.
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