Travis Kelce calls on the NFL to address dangerous field conditions after ‘Squirt Squad’ moment shocks him
Travis and Jason were surprised by how hot it was at the Titans' stadium last week
With a 2-0 start and more than 30 points in both games, you can say the Kansas City Chiefs have already put last year’s slip behind them, that 6-11 mark that was the franchise’s worst since 2012 (2-14) and the worst of the Andy Reid era , only the second time in 13 seasons as head coach he missed the playoffs.
Bringing in Kenneth Walker III , the league’s leading rusher, and putting Eric Bieniemy back as offensive coordinator has been a big part of why this start looks different, and Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce look as sharp as they did in those early years together.
Best example was the 33-30 overtime win over the Indianapolis Colts , when Mahomes threw for 382 yards , his highest single-game passing total since 2023, and Kelce went for nine catches, 101 yards and a touchdown, his best game since 2024.
Travis Kelce Calls Out Extreme Heat on NFL Turf
Next up are the Miami Dolphins in one of the hottest buildings in the NFL, and the one break for Kansas City, especially for Kelce, is that Hard Rock Stadium is natural grass, not artificial turf.
That matters after the last episode of New Heights , when Kelce reacted to video of coaches spraying water straight onto players’ shoes to fight the heat. “The squirt squad was out there! What is this?” he said. “You shouldn’t be allowed to do that. You shouldn’t be allowed to put players on a field that does that. Why is that even allowed?”
That was after the turf at Nissan Stadium hit 157 degrees Fahrenheit during the game, up from 95 at kickoff, heat that reportedly melted the soles of cleats and forced emergency measures on the sideline.
“It’s so insane to me that you’re allowed to put the product in a situation like that. The NFL has got to figure something out for that. That’s insane.”
Nissan is one of 14 NFL venues still on artificial turf , and 16 of the league’s 32 teams play home games on synthetic surfaces, including outdoor stadiums used by the Patriots, Seahawks, Bengals, Giants and Jets.
NFLPA Keeps Pushing Grass After Injury Numbers
Kelce was not the only one. Eagles tackle Jordan Mailata , who has sat in those talks for the NFL Players Association , tied it back to the union’s long push for natural grass in every stadium.
The NFLPA has pointed to 2012-2018 data showing a 28% higher rate of non-contact lower-extremity injuries on turf than grass , including 32% more non-contact knee injuries and 69% more non-contact foot and ankle injuries.
The league’s answer is that overall injury rates look similar when you count every category, and they have used 2025 numbers of 0.43 injuries per game on turf versus 0.42 on grass .
That is the fight sitting in the background while the Chiefs fly to Miami 2-0, with Mahomes and Kelce rolling and a grass field waiting instead of another 157-degree track.
