One of the most important factors in every NFL game has nothing to do with the coaches or the players, but rather the surface they’re playing on. For the Denver Broncos, they play on a natural grass surface at Empower Field at Mile High, Kentucky bluegrass to be specific.
The team replaced the field ahead of the season after the venue hosted a slew of summer concerts, and a report on Sunday indicated that the time was coming for the sod to be replaced a second time to get it ready for the second half of the season.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio had the report.
It’s clear that the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group understands just how important a good playing surface. There have been signs around the like — especially in Pittsburgh — that a natural grass surface that sees too much action ends up creating issues for the home team that plays on it on Sundays.
This mid-season replacement is nothing new for the Broncos. The ownership forked over $400,000 to get a new surface in ahead of the final game of the 2022 season, threw in $250,000 in November 2023 for the same reason, and another $250,000 in 2024. The constant replacement of the sod is a testament to ownership’s commitment to the team and shows that they do things in the NFL that many other owners don’t.
Another important aspect of the playing surface is that the Broncos have limited who plays on it. The stadium used to host the 4A and 5A high school state football championships along with a few college games, most notably the Rocky Mountain Showdown between CU and CSU. Those games have moved to different locations to minimize the use that the grass gets.
No exact date is set on when the field will be replaced, as the report just said that it would happen in the “coming weeks.” Looking at Denver’s schedule, there’s a gap between the Nov. 16 game against the Chiefs and the Dec. 14 game against the Packers that would provide the best opportunity to replace the field. The team has a bye week followed by two road contests against the Commanders and the Raiders in that span.
The Broncos are currently riding a nine-game home winning streak, the best in the NFL. Combined with the altitude and the fans, the field certainly plays a reason as to why the Broncos play so well in the Mile High City.
