‘The field is ass right now’: New Highmark Stadium’s grass has rough start

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — These aren’t the types of chunk plays the Buffalo Bills are looking for.

On the final play of the first quarter of Saturday’s preseason opener, backup quarterback Kyle Allen scrambled left and got pinched off near the sideline. He slid as Carolina Panthers cornerback Chau Smith-Wade delivered a crushing blow.

The force of Allen being driven into the ground sent a massive clump of Highmark Stadium’s fresh grass into the air — roots, dirt and all. The rut was so deep that four Bills went onto the field to repair it. Done playing for the day, quarterback Josh Allen, receiver DJ Moore and tackles Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown turned to gardening. They retrieved the parcel and took turns stomping it back into place.

“The field is ass right now,” said one player who didn’t want to be identified. “But it’s early.”

Players were mostly diplomatic after Buffalo’s 29-14 preseason victory in the $2.2 billion stadium’s first game.

Highmark Stadium has absorbed heavy criticism the past week. The Bills unveiled their home to the public with an Aug. 8 open practice that allowed season ticket holders, all of whom had to pay the first personal seat licenses in Western New York sports history, to finally check out their seats.

Photos of obstructed views went viral. A downpour left some fans disappointed that their seats weren’t sheltered by the canopy. Fans also complained about traffic, the size of the scoreboards and the audio.

Although announced long ago, a new 6 percent Erie County sales tax delivered sticker shock on concession and souvenir receipts.

The Bills are proud of their new grass system. Pointing out lawn flaws might feel like piling on.

“The grass looked good,” Bills linebacker Dorian Williams said. “It was cool. A couple spots kind of chunked up a little bit, but it’s better than playing on (artificial) turf.

“The kinks will keep getting worked out. You can see some of the grass kind of mound up and guys knocking it back down, but I’ve had no traction problems so far.”

Highmark Stadium’s field is Kentucky bluegrass grown at Tuckahoe Turf Farms in New Jersey — the company also has handled Acrisure Stadium, Lincoln Financial Field, Fenway Park and Citi Field — and installed here in October 2025. A system of heating coils under Highmark Stadium keeps the ground from freezing. Millions of dollars in agricultural equipment are stored beneath the lower seating bowl.

Two hours after the game, 16 groundskeepers were still examining every inch of the field and making repairs. Sprinklers turned on at 6:30 p.m.

Before and after Saturday’s preseason opener, stadium workers tended to new Highmark Stadium’s grass field. (Joe Buscaglia / The Athletic)

The field looked worn to the dirt before the Bills and Panthers emerged for pregame warmups. Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid summoned a staffer to repair a troubling divot, while linebacker Terrel Bernard supervised. As receivers ran route drills over damaged ground, a Bills staffer eventually stood at the pothole like a traffic cop.

Another Bills player who didn’t want to be identified said the field was “soft, but not in a good way.” At the public practice, though, Brown joked to reporters he wanted to sleep on the grass. Saturday, running back James Cook said the field felt “smooth.” The NFL’s rushing king didn’t seem to miss a step. He carried five times for 21 yards, gliding for 13 yards on one play.

Highmark Stadium’s grass wore out as the game wore on. Officials had to reset Buffalo’s play clock in the first quarter so umpire Tab Slaughter could smash down loose soil in the backfield. By halftime, baldness crept between the hashmarks, especially on Highmark Stadium’s south end (to the right if sitting behind the Bills bench).

Midway through the fourth quarter, several small craters pockmarked the same area between the 14- and 21-yard lines. Long snapper Reid Ferguson had to stomp one down when he went out for an extra point. Tyler Bass missed a 46-yard field goal attempt but said he was too quick with his mechanics and didn’t blame the conditions.

Buffalo last played a game on real grass — sparse as it was — in December 1972 at War Memorial Stadium, aka The Rockpile.

“It was actually pretty good,” Panthers running back Jonathon Brooks said. “It was a little lumpy out there, but it wasn’t bad. The grass felt good.”

Carolina is one of 16 teams that play on synthetic turf. The NFL Players Association has campaigned to switch exclusively to grass for safety purposes. The NFLPA says 92 percent of its players prefer grass. Stars have posted their feelings on social media with the hashtag #WorthTheCost.

Buffalo’s synthetic turf earned an F grade from Bills players in the NFLPA’s annual report card last year.

The real-over-fake issue mushroomed when the FIFA World Cup was held in 11 NFL stadiums, forcing the seven synthetic-surfaced stadiums to install natural grass, but they’ve flipped back for the NFL season. Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots, was forced to roll out a second artificial surface after the World Cup because its first attempt didn’t pass an independent lab test as required by the NFL and NFLPA.

“I think everybody in here loves playing on grass,” Williams said. “The body loves playing on grass. Hitting feels a lot better. I think it’s been great.”