Grass Is Latest Issue With Bills’ New Stadium

As the NFL regular season approaches, the Buffalo Bills are grappling with multiple issues at their brand new stadium, Highmark Stadium. The latest concern is the condition of the grass on the field, which is set to be re-sodded ahead of Week 2 to accommodate their game against the Detroit Lions on September 17. This decision comes after instances of displaced sod during the stadium's initial football events, including two preseason games in August. Player comments about the field also raised doubts about its playing quality.

Team representatives have confirmed that the resodding process will begin on Monday and is expected to be finished by the end of the week. The decision to re-sod was made in light of a stretch of three consecutive home games early in the season.

However, the grass issue is not the sole concern regarding the new stadium. Earlier this month, the Bills acknowledged that they are addressing feedback from fans and players following a weekend scrimmage that drew record attendance but also revealed obstructed-view seats, particularly in the upper deck. Despite these criticisms, Highmark Stadium has seen strong crowds since its opening.

The stadium's first fan-facing event, the annual Return of the Blue & Red practice, drew 51,807 fans, surpassing its previous attendance record by over 12,000. The team's home preseason games also performed well, drawing 58,528 and 59,001 fans respectively.

These figures indicate a drop compared to the Bills' recent seasons. In 2023, the team's home preseason game drew 69,835 paid attendees, and in 2024, they averaged about 69,462 attendees over two games. The drop can be partly attributed to the smaller capacity of the new Highmark Stadium, which holds 60,108 fans, compared to over 71,000 for the previous stadium.