Eagles lineman calls for change after 157-degree Titans turf melts players' cleats

The turf at Nissan Stadium reportedly reached 157 degrees, and Nick Siriani needed an IV Sep 21, 2026 at 12:01 pm ET • 2 min read There was plenty of inclement weather around the NFL this weekend. The Browns vs. Buccaneers game was suspended for two hours due to a massive storm, and rain poured throughout in Vikings vs. Bears and Packers vs. Jets games.But the most dangerous? That was in Nashville, where temperatures reached 95 degrees -- with a heat index of 105 -- for the Eagles vs. Titans game. According to the Fox broadcast, the temperature of the Nissan Stadium turf reached 157 degrees, a quite literally scorching number. Several players reported their cleats melting during the game, and Eagles coach Nick Sirianni received an IV to keep hydrated. Afterward, Eagles standout tackle Jordan Mailata called for change, per ESPN."I've never thought about how hot a stadium can be if it's turf," said Mailata, Philadelphia's NFLPA rep last year. "[The heat] just sits there and bounces up into you. 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."Fellow Philadelphia offensive lineman Cam Jurgens said he went through multiple pairs of cleats during the Eagles' 24-20 win, and Titans safety Amani Hooker said the midsoles of his cleats "melted completely off." Mailata said he rolled his ankles twice and wondered if it was due to his own cleats melting, too."Halftime was like a NASCAR pit crew helping me get ready for the second half," Jurgens said. "That turf was just radiating."The lasting image of the contest -- other than Jalen Hurts' game-winning touchdown to Darius Cooper -- was Titans players getting their cleats sprayed with water. The lasting quote? "It was hot as s--- and everybody was hot as s---," Sirianni said.This was the second straight week temperatures crept up to dangerous levels -- in general, but especially on the Nissan Stadium turf. Last week, Jeffery Simmons' cleats melted, a development Mailata didn't initially believe until he experienced it himself.Players have long wanted natural fields, a position that only strengthened this offseason, when the World Cup was played on natural grass, often in stadiums that play NFL games on turf. NFLPA president JC Tretter, a former NFL player, told ESPN, "There is something there that impacts the body" more on turf than on grass, and that's in normal conditions. Add in extreme heat, and the turf provided even more danger Sunday.