The Philadelphia Eagles‘ win over the Tennessee Titans came at a huge physical cost as they battled through immense heat in Nashville.
The Eagles emerged with a 24-20 win at Nissan Stadium, with Darius Cooper scoring a game-winning touchdown with just 14 seconds left after the Titans had taken the lead shortly after the two-minute warning.
And both players and coaches were relieved the game didn’t go to overtime, having faced heat conditions so extreme that players’ cleats melted and Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni required an IV after the game.
‘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.’
The television broadcast of the game revealed the turf temperature reached an incredible 157 degrees, and those involved later shared the eye-opening reality of its impact.
The Philadelphia Eagles beat the Tennessee Titans in extreme heat conditions in Nashville
Players faced alarmingly hot conditions that saw the turf temperature reach 157 degrees
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni revealed he needed an IV after the game to rehydrate
14-year veteran Lane Johnson claimed ‘it was one of the top five toughest games I’ve been a part of,’ adding: ‘It was a mental test for everyone involved.’
His fellow offensive lineman Cam Jurgens said his feet were ‘still hurting’ after the game, per ESPN.
‘Halftime was like a NASCAR pit crew helping me get ready for the second half,’ Jurgens said. ‘That turf was just radiating.’
The Titans also faced extremely hot conditions in Week 1 against the New York Jets, a game where safety Amani Hooker said the midsoles of his cleats ‘melted completely off’.
At one stage, TV cameras picked up a Titans player having cold water sprayed over his cleats during a break in play to cool them off.
Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata was concerned his melting cleats may have caused him to twice roll his ankles. Mailata was previously the Eagles’ NFL Players’ Association representative and believes it is another example of why the league should push to ban turf fields.
‘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,’ Mailata 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.’
TV footage on Fox showed a Titans player getting his cleats cooled with cold water
An NFL team was not allowed to practice outdoors in the conditions as the game was played in
Incredibly, the game was so hot that NFL teams would not be allowed to practice outdoors in such conditions.
The Eagles have more experience than most in extremely hot games having faced early season road games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers the last two seasons.
They traveled to Nashville a day earlier than usual to prepare for the heat and had a walk-through on Saturday at midday to try and acclimate to the conditions.
The problem won’t be one that lasts for long in Tennessee. The Titans are building a new dome stadium that is fully climate controlled and due to open next season.
