Chances are if you didn’t see any of the Eagles-Titans game on Sunday you did see a viral clip of a player who was seen having his cleats get sprayed with water while he sat on the field. You probably had a good chuckle over it because it was something that seemed so strange, and also very random, to witness during a long day of watching NFL games from the comfy confines of your living room.
Well, there was a good reason why Titans safety Kevin Winston Jr. needed some fluids on his boots. The temperature on the turf field at Nissan Stadium in Nashville hit a high of 157 degrees. Titans players had their cleats melting off during their also very warm home opener a week before, so they had to take unusual steps to stop that from happening again.
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For real.
Titans players are spraying their cleats with water amid high temperatures in Nashville.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 20, 2026
There’s good reason: Titans safety Amani Booker said his cleats “melted completely off” during last week’s season opener.
🎥 @NFLonFOXpic.twitter.com/kSpwm9yx1E
The extreme heat down on the field also affected Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, who had to have an IV administered after the game.
“It was hot as s---,” Sirianni said after his team’s 24-20 win. “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.”
ESPN’s Tim McManus spoke with a few Eagles players about the high temperatures and how it affected them during the game, and none of it sounded like a good time.
“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,” Eagles left tackle Jordan Mailata told ESPN. “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.”
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“Halftime was like a NASCAR pit crew helping me get ready for the second half,” Eagles offensive lineman Cam Jurgens said. “That turf was just radiating.”
Reason Number 100 why
— Chris Law (@ChrisLaw) September 20, 2026
Natural Grass > Field Turf
135+ Degrees on the field turf in Nashville pic.twitter.com/m4fDyh0NVq
The game-time temperature was 95 degrees with a real-feel temperature of 105. According to McManus, a heat dome had settled over Nashville in recent weeks and that caused the field to reach the wildly high temperatures that were recorded in Sunday’s game.
“It was one of the top five toughest games I've been a part of,” Philadelphia’s veteran offensive tackle Lane Johnson said to ESPN. “It was a mental test for everyone involved.”
That all made what the Eagles were able to do in the final minutes of the game even more impressive. Trailing by three points with 1:57 left in the fourth quarter, Jalen Hurts was able to lead the offense down the field and secured the come-from-behind victory with a three-yard touchdown pass to Darius Cooper with just nine seconds remaining.
The Eagles walk down the Titans with a game-winning TD 💪
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 20, 2026
(via @Eagles)pic.twitter.com/JF27BZqnLM
Here’s hoping the Titans don’t have to deal with those extreme conditions going forward because that seems very dangerous and extremely uncomfortable. The good news is that their next two games are on the road and they don’t play at home again until they host the Texans on Oct. 11.
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