Tim McManusSep 20, 2026, 09:54 PM ETCloseTim McManus covers the Philadelphia Eagles for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2016 after covering the Eagles for Philadelphia Magazine’s Birds 24/7, a site he helped create, since 2010.Multiple AuthorsOpen Extended ReactionsNASHVILLE, Tenn. — Players’ cleats were melting and Eagles coach Nick Sirianni needed an IV as a result of extreme heat conditions at Nissan Stadium during Sunday’s game between Philadelphia and the Tennessee Titans, a 24-20 win for the Eagles.The temperature on the turf reached 157 degrees Fahrenheit, per the television broadcast.Philadelphia left tackle Jordan Mailata, the team’s NFL Players Association rep in 2025, said this is another reason why the union should push for the league to do away with turf surfaces.”I’ve never thought about how hot a stadium can be if it’s turf. [The heat] just sits there and bounces up into you,” he said. “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.”Eagles offensive lineman Cam Jurgens noted postgame that his feet were “burning, still hurting.” Jurgens said he went through multiple pairs of cleats due to melting issues.”Halftime was like a NASCAR pit crew helping me get ready for the second half,” he said.
“That turf was just radiating.”The temperature in Nashville for Sunday’s kickoff of noon local time was 95 degrees, with a heat index of around 105. A “heat dome” had settled over the area in recent weeks, with high pressure in the atmosphere pushing heat toward the surface and trapping it there.Titans safety Amani Hooker said the midsoles of his cleats “melted completely off” in the season opener against the visiting New York Jets.Mailata said he rolled his ankles twice in the game and wondered if it could be the result of his shoes bending because the plastic in the bottom of his cleats got soft.Television cameras showed a member of the Titans having his cleats sprayed with water to cool them off.”It was hot as s—,” Sirianni said. “I didn’t play a snap and I had to get an IV. I so appreciate how much the guys prepared.
I so appreciate how much they fought through because it wasn’t easy.”There was some conversation after the game centered around the idea that teams would not be permitted to practice outdoors in such conditions, making it curious why the league continues to schedule early afternoon September games in hot-weather climates.The Eagles played in similar conditions each of the past two seasons at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Safety Reed Blankenship had to exit the Bucs game in 2024 with a heat-related illness that was considered serious at the time.The Eagles left for Nashville on Friday, a day earlier than normal, to try to acclimate to the heat. They held a midday walk-through Saturday to try to get players used to the conditions.”It was one of the top five toughest games I’ve been a part of,” said Philadelphia tackle Lane Johnson, a 14-year veteran. “It was a mental test for everyone involved.”
