The Las Vegas Raiders are playing against the Green Bay Packers in a Monday night matchup that surely won't disappoint. Raiders' Davante Adams will face his former team for the first time, and this game also marks the first time two brother kickers will compete against each other (Daniel Carson vs. Anders Carlson).
The Week 5 game is being played at the Raiders' home stadium, Allegiant Stadium.
Allegiant Stadium is scheduled to host Super Bowl LVIII in February of 2024 and is relatively new, having opened its doors just three years ago in 2020.
Given its recent construction, Allegiant Stadium boasts impressive modern features, one of which is its' retractable grass and turf fields.
Allegiant Stadium has both grass and turf fields
Allegiant Stadium was designed with two playing surfaces in mind: natural grass and artificial turf. The stadium utilizes a roll-in grass field similar to what Glendale's State Farm Stadium has. This configuration allows the Raiders, who prefer grass to turf, to play on a natural surface while other events can be held at the facility without damaging the grass.
The stadium's artificial turf field is primarily for UNLV college football games. UNLV reportedly prefers to play on turf, and it limits the wear and tear of the Raiders' grass field.
How does the dual grass and turf set-up work?
The artificial turf is fairly self-explanatory: the turf field is placed on the stadium's concrete floor and gets rolled up and stored under the stadium when the Raiders play NFL games.
The grass field requires much more maintenance. It gets transported on a four-foot-deep retractable tray that can be moved in and out of the stadium. On days when UNLV requires a turf field, the grass is rolled outside using electric-powered train rails, where the grass receives natural sunlight and water.
The grass field also includes its own irrigation and drainage collection system to keep the surface in optimal condition.
Playing on grass has its ups and downs, but when the grass field is maintained properly, it is generally considered the safer and more preventative surface when it comes to non-contact injuries.
