Nashville turf temp of 157 F melts cleats, sends Sirianni for IV

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  Tim McManusSep 20, 2026, 09:54 PM ET

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  Tim McManus covers the Philadelphia Eagles for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2016 after covering the Eagles for Philadelphia Magazine's Birds 24/7, a site he helped create, since 2010.

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NASHVILLE -- Players cleats were melting and head coach Nick Sirianni needed an IV as a result of extreme heat conditions at Nissan Stadium during Sunday's game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans, a 24-20 Eagles win.

The temperature on the turf reached 157 degrees Fahrenheit per the television broadcast.

Left tackle Jordan Mailata, the team's NFLPA player rep in 2025, said this is another reason why the union should push for the league to do away with turf surfaces.

"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," he said. "We've 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."

Center Cam Jurgens noted postgame that his feet were "burning, still hurting." Jurgens said he went through multiple pairs of cleats due them melting.

"Halftime was like a NASCAR pit crew helping me get ready for the second half," he said. "That turf was just radiating."

The temperature in Nashville for Sunday's 12 p.m. (CT) kickoff was 95 degrees with a heat index of around 105. A "heat dome" had settled over the area in recent weeks, with high pressure in the atmosphere pushing heat towards the surface and trapping it there.

Titans safety Amani Hooker said the midsoles of his cleats "melted completely off" in the season opener against New York Jets. Mailata said he rolled his ankles twice in the game and wondered it could be the result of his shoes bending because the plastic in the bottom of his cleats got soft.

Television cameras showed a member of the Titans having his cleats sprayed with water to cool them off.

"It was hot as s---," Sirianni said. "I didn't play a snap and I had to get an IV. I so appreciate how much the guys prepared, I so appreciate how much they fought through because it wasn't easy."

There was some conversation after the game centered around the idea that teams would not be permitted to practice outdoors in such conditions, making it curious why the league continues to schedule early afternoon September games in hot weather climates.

The Eagles played in similar conditions each of the past two seasons in Tampa Bay. Safety Reed Blankenship had to leave the Bucs game in 2024 with a heat-related illness that was considered pretty serious at the time.

The Eagles left for Nashville on Friday, a day earlier than normal, to try and acclimate to the weather. They held a walkthrough in the middle of the day Saturday to try and get players used to the conditions.

"It was one of the top five toughest games I've been a part of," said tackle Lane Johnson, a 14-year veteran. "It was a mental test for everyone involved."