Lions players critical of Panthers for 1 reason

Nov 24, 2022; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson watches the game against the Buffalo Bills in the third quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

The Carolina Panthers played their coldest home game in franchise history on Sunday, and visiting players felt the frigid temperatures may have created an unsafe environment.

After their 37-23 loss, several Detroit Lions players complained that the field conditions at Bank of America Stadium were a major issue. Aidan Hutchinson called the field turf “the most concrete field I’ve ever been on in my whole life.” The rookie pass-rusher questioned whether the surface would have even been deemed legal by the NFL.

“I don’t know if there is a standard you have to meet for turf, but I think it got better later in the game, so it wasn’t too much of a factor,” Hutchinson said, via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. “But, I mean, it was very concrete-like for sure.”

Players took the field for warmups with a windchill that was around -2 degrees. Temperatures “warmed” to around 20 degrees by kickoff. Lions quarterback Jared Goff shared the same concerns as Hutchinson about the condition of the field turf.

“I thought the field conditions were below NFL-level standard, specifically pregame,” Goff said. “I know it warmed up a bit as the game went on, but I don’t know what the deal is here. They need to make the turf not feel like cement. I don’t know why that is.”

The weather in Charlotte over the weekend was unheard of. That was almost certainly a factor in why the artificial turf firmed up so much. Still, the complaints came during a season in which the NFL has faced a great deal of criticism over playing surfaces. That talk clearly is not going anywhere.

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