The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting fans excited ahead of Sunday’s season opener against the Atlanta Falcons. Fans are expecting a home win now that Cooper Rush is starting for the Falcons.
The team has dropped several hype videos Saturday, including one captioned: “See yinz soon.”
The “yinzers” are pumped and Sunday should be a party in the stands at Acrisure Stadium. Yet a major concern has come about with the playing surface itself.
Acrisure Stadium Hosted Pitt Saturday Night
The Pittsburgh Panthers hosted the UCF Knights on Saturday in a game that featured plenty of rain. That had fans and reporters commenting on the state of the grass field at the stadium.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor wrote: “It’s absolutely pouring at Acrisure– and has been for a lot of the day– for Pitt-UCF. Steelers kick off at 1pm tomorrow. This weekend is a huge test for the new playing surface. Today’s game is the first on this specific surface. It was replaced after the Bruno Mars concert.”
The Steelers were known for having a rough field that was routinely torn up by Pitt on Saturdays before the Steelers would play the following day. That led the team to install a new type of grass surface this summer.
As Pryor notes, Sunday will be the first true test for this new surface and it will come under challenging conditions. Rain remains in the forecast overnight and into Sunday morning, meaning the field may never get a chance to recover before kickoff between the Steelers and Falcons.
Steelers Must Battle Through Tough Conditions
The Steelers, and especially the grounds crew, are hoping the new field holds up even after a game took place on it Saturday night while it rained and poured. That remains to be seen.
But no amount of rain will prevent Steelers fans from getting excited for the season opener. This is the official start of the post-Mike Tomlin era and everyone is eager to see how the team looks under the tutelage of Mike McCarthy. Can he and Aaron Rodgers bring back some of their Green Bay magic?
Fans are also expecting a fun atmosphere given the Falcons’ shocking struggles at the quarterback position. Finding a healthy starter has become a challenge for Kevin Stefanski’s team and it’s only Week 1.
Acrisure Stadium will be rocking no matter the weather. The teams are just hoping the field holds up and helps prevent any unnecessary injuries from taking place.
Steelers Drop Week 1 Hype Video Amid Concerning Field Conditions