Allegiant Stadium, home of the Las Vegas Raiders, has been the talk of the NFL world since opening in 2020 due to its extravagant design and hefty price tag, among other characteristics. The venue made the rounds on social media again Sunday but for a less positive reason ahead of the Raiders’ clash with the Denver Broncos.
Fans Go Off on Allegiant Stadium’s Awful Turf Conditions
Ahead of Las Vegas’ regular-season finale, an inconsequential game for two teams outside the playoff picture, photos and videos of the playing field went viral Sunday after being captured pregame by Broncos reporter Scotty Gange.
Gange posted looks of the field to X (formerly known as Twitter), and fans quickly expressed their displeasure with the field’s subpar conditions.
The playing surface looks awful today in Vegas. Sad. 👎👎 #9sports pic.twitter.com/cBzD94Ad7z
— Scotty Gange (@Scotty_G6) January 7, 2024
Issues seem to have arisen given the winter conditions in Las Vegas this time of year, which can have an impact on the grass given the stadium’s unique process for maintaining it. The grass is kept on a large tray that is rolled in and out of Allegiant Stadium between Raiders games, allowing the grass to grow outside before being brought back into the domed stadium.
Allegiant Stadium is also set to host Super Bowl 58 this season, which is set to be played Feb. 11. One commenter brought this point up on X, wondering if the grass will be in good condition in time for the league’s biggest game.
Hopefully this gets figured out before, you know, the Super Bowl. https://t.co/ZAQr2ORjaM
— Katie Mox (@KatieMox) January 7, 2024
Those conditions in the end zone could pose some problems for the two teams, both in finding their footing on plays and in potential injury risk on the uneven surface. It will ultimately be the final game of the regular season for both teams, however, with neither team in playoff contention.
MORE: When Is the 2024 Super Bowl?
Those realities led one commenter to mention the conditions perhaps not being much of an issue given the teams’ lack of motivation to put on much of a performance.
It’s in the endzone. Both teams should be ok.
— Kroy (@AStateZK) January 7, 2024
Still, Las Vegas has shown plenty of motivation down the stretch of the season under interim head coach Antonio Pierce as he has aimed to guide them to a playoff berth despite their early struggles. The team’s offense has certainly been less than stellar at times this season, but playing to give Pierce a strong case to keep the job permanently could fuel their efforts.
Denver might also struggle to generate much offensively after benching quarterback Russell Wilson down the stretch of the season. The Broncos scored just nine points last week with Jarrett Stidham at the helm.
Time will tell how the game ultimately plays out, but all eyes will certainly be on the subpar turf, both Sunday and leading up to the Super Bowl.
Want to predict the rest of the 2023 season with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? Looking for the most up-to-date NFL standings? What about a breakdown of team depth charts or the NFL schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with that and more!