The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a great start to training camp and the preseason ahead of the 2026 NFL season. The Steelers have seemed to make considerable progress under the franchise's new coaching staff while also integrating new talent. The talent was on full display during the first week of the preseason as the Steelers were able to take down the Green Bay Packers at Acrisure Stadium. Pittsburgh won their first game of the preseason by a score of 28-9, and every iteration of the offense that was on the field seemed to be able to move the ball at will against Green Bay's defense.
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Steelers' Mike McCarthy speaks to the media during mandatory minicamp in 2026.
The Steelers' preseason started off hot, and now the team is preparing to take on the New York Jets on Friday night. This will be another game that is being hosted in Pittsburgh as Aaron Rodgers didn't have to travel to either of his old stadiums during the preseason schedule that seemed to be crafted with him in mind. The Steelers only road game during the preseason is the finale, which is against the Buffalo Bills. This will be just the second game that is ever played in the Bills' new stadium which cost $2.2 billion.
The new stadium in Buffalo is called Highmark Stadium, and the stadium debuted during the first week of the preseason as the Bills beat the Carolina Panthers. The Bills got some heat for the new stadium, and a few players shared some criticisms of the playing surface with The Athletic's Tim Graham.
"'The field is a** right now,' said one player who didn’t want to be identified. 'But it’s early,'" Graham wrote. "Another Bills player who didn’t want to be identified said the field was, 'Soft, but not in a good way.'"
There have been a ton of complaints about the new stadium in Buffalo. Fans took to social media to complain about certain seats that had their views completely blocked by other aspects of the stadium, and now players have spoken up as well. The playing surface is not perfect, although with the stadium change the team also switched from artificial turf to grass. It might just take the grounds crew some time to get used to caring for this surface.
Ben Ludeman / Buffalo Bills
Bills' Josh Allen looks to escape the pocket during the team's first game of the preseason in 2026.
It is important to note that this was the first game played at this new stadium, so it might just take some time for the grass to get to where it needs to be. The players' frustration is understandable though as the new build cost $2.2 billion so there should be no issues with moving around on the field. The Steelers will be traveling to play on this field in the final week of the preseason, and Pittsburgh has already had its fair share of field surface problems.
During the 2025 season, the playing surface at Acrisure Stadium came under fire from players after many players called it unsuitable. Miles Killebrew suffered a non-contact knee injury on the field, which displayed just how poor the surface was. The team has changed playing surfaces for the 2026 season, which is a decision that has been praised by media, fans, and players alike.
Steelers Should Exercise Caution Entering Game Against The Bills
It already seems clear that a ton of the starters will not be playing against the Jets on Friday, and that should remain the case against Buffalo the following week. There is no need to put players like TJ Watt or Aaron Rodgers on a playing surface that has been complained about by its own players. There seems to just be a risk of injury that probably just is not worth it, and it could ruin the start of the regular season for Pittsburgh if something were to go wrong.
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