Over the last few years, players and fans have been pushing for the NFL to order teams to install grass fields instead of artificial turf in all stadiums to limit injuries. However, the league continues to insist that the field does not impact injury rates.
After analyzing the 2025 injury statistics, the league claimed that injury rates were nearly identical on grass and turf. The NFL reported the injury rate is 0.43 on artificial turf and 0.42 on grass, according to Judy Battista of NFL.com.
However, those numbers do not specify the nature of injuries that occur on each type of playing field. Previous research has concluded that turf increases the risk of knee and ankle injuries, while other types of injuries occur equally on both surfaces. The league’s report covers all injuries, including concussions and upper-body ailments unrelated to the grass or turf.
The playing surface is currently up to each team’s ownership and the stadium in which they choose to play. As of 2025, 15 stadiums use grass and 15 use turf, according to ESPN. Those numbers will shift once the Buffalo Bills move into the “New” Highmark Stadium, which will have grass instead of the turf the team has been playing on since 1973.
Research says NFL turf does impact injuries
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
While the NFL continues to claim that artificial turf has little impact on injuries, official research draws other conclusions.
Playing on artificial turf nearly triples the risk of PCL knee injuries, according to the National Center for Health Research. The study, which used NCAA football data, also concluded that players are 1.6 times more likely to suffer an ACL tear on turf than on grass.
NFL fans have seen that play out in real time over the years. MetLife Stadium, which is widely viewed as one of the worst playing fields in the league, has claimed several victims in recent years. Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz, Aaron Rodgers, Malik Nabers and Sterling Shepard have all suffered devastating leg injuries on the field, among many others.
Beckham has been the most outspoken about the field and begged the league to implement changes after watching Nabers tear his ACL on the field in 2025.
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