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Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) runs the ball against the Houston Texans during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Houston.<\/p>\n
Eric Christian Smith\/AP Photo\/Eric Christian Smith<\/p>\n
Fans walk outside Allegiant Stadium before an NFL football game between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n
Ross D. Franklin\/AP Photo\/Ross D. Franklin<\/p>\n
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) \u2014 For Josh Allen, the grass is most definitely greener across the street.<\/p>\n
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As the Buffalo Bills moved closer to their first regular-season game Thursday in their new Highmark Stadium, the quarterback looked forward to not having to deal with the added wear and tear his body previously experienced playing on the artificial turf of the team\u2019s now-demolished old facility.<\/p>\n
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\u201cI\u2019ve gotten numerous, numerous burns on my legs from artificial turf, to the point I can\u2019t sleep at night because it\u2019s bubbling over. It\u2019s very painful,” Allen said, noting he still feels it after the Bills practice on the turf inside their fieldhouse. “If I could snap my fingers and make every field grass, that\u2019s what I would do for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Influential as Allen might be, he doesn\u2019t wield that type of power even as the grass versus artificial turf debate resurfaces this year after seven of 11 NFL facilities made the mandatory \u2014 and temporary \u2014 switch to grass to host World Cup games.<\/p>\n
Players overwhelmingly support grass<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a little bizarre, but what can you expect?\u201d 49ers defensive lineman Nick Bosa said, referring to teams making an exception for FIFA while the NFL Players Association<\/a> says 92% of its members favor grass.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Overwhelming as player support is, the NFL continues trending toward artificial surfaces.<\/p>\n With Buffalo, 16 of the NFL\u2019s 30 facilities will feature grass this season, including Green Bay\u2019s Lambeau Field, which is made up of 95% grass and reinforced with polyethylene fibers.<\/p>\n Of the 18 NFL facilities built since 2000, 11 have artificial surfaces, and those don’t include Carolina and Tennessee, which recently made the switch to turf. Cost and maintenance appear to play more of a factor than geography, with six of the NFL\u2019s seven coldest markets and all three Florida-based teams featuring grass surfaces.<\/p>\n “Natural grass isn\u2019t out of reach. Prioritizing players shouldn\u2019t be either!\u201d Colts running back Jonathan Taylor posted on his X account<\/a> with the hashtag \u201cWorthTheCost.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Where there is consensus is that NFL playing surfaces are far more advanced today than 50 years ago when several teams, starting with the Houston Oilers, played on AstroTurf \u2014 essentially a thinly padded carpet laid over concrete or asphalt.<\/p>\n NFL\/NFLPA set standards for all fields<\/p>\n Nick Pappas, the NFL\u2019s director of field surfaces, said the advancements in turf technology are night and day since the AstroTurf era. The focus now, he said, is the NFL and NFLPA working with all turf manufacturers to establish standards for surfaces based on player feedback and metrics from testing conducted by the league.<\/p>\n