While everyone is settling in for a drama-filled storyline matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers, fans on both sides might be set up to witness a frustrating affair.
The last time the Steelers played in Acrisure Stadium, players from the Cleveland Browns and the Steelers’ own locker room complained about the quality of the playing surface, a notorious issue for Pittsburgh’s home field. The team didn’t ignore the issue, but they didn’t exactly solve it either.
The Steelers had the field re-sodded ahead of the highly anticipated primetime matchup, but the Pittsburgh Panthers played on the field after an hours-long rain storm came through the Steel City. Now, the Steelers and Packers will have to deal with a chopped-up, slippery field.
Acrisure Stadium field conditions set to disrupt Steelers-Packers primetime clash
It’s an inevitability each season that Pittsburgh’s home turf will have its weeks where the field is bordering on unusable, thanks to the Panthers and Steelers sharing the field on the same weekend.
The choppy field will certainly impact the quality of play for both teams. It’s tough to execute with an uncooperative playing surface. We could see both teams lean on their rushing attacks as a result, a situation that might not point in Pittsburgh’s favor. Green Bay carries the NFL's second-ranked rushing defense into the game, while Pittsburgh ranks No. 18. Still, Green Bay ranks just 25th for its own run game.
Another unfortunate reality is that a poor playing surface can lead to injuries. Hopefully, this isn’t the case, but Pittsburgh has faced plenty of minor injuries this season, and Miles Killebrew was lost for the season due to the field at Acrisure Stadium two games ago.
If the field proves to play such a heavy factor, then the priority in the game will shift to ball control. Limiting turnovers and producing long drives will be the simplest way for both teams to avoid the field conditions and prevent the opposition from enjoying a short trip to points.
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Again, that doesn’t work for the Steelers. Green Bay doesn’t force a lot of turnovers itself already, and the Packers prove successful nonetheless. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh struggles to find success without creating takeaways. The Steelers are 1-2 this season when the turnover margin is lost or tied.
The field will play a factor, and unfortunately, that may prove more problematic for the home team. It’ll be up to the Steelers to overcome their own housekeeping issues to ensure that Aaron Rodgers becomes the fifth quarterback in NFL history to beat all 32 NFL teams.