Broncos to play Falcons on brand new turf after midseason field replacement. Here’s how they did it.

The Denver Broncos will try to snap a two-game losing skid on Sunday when the Atlanta Falcons come to town. They’ll do so on a brand new playing surface, as the grounds crew replaced the Empower Field sod in a roughly 36-hour span following the team’s last home game.

The field replacement required 285 rolls of 100% Kentucky bluegrass, supplied by Green Valley Turf Company in Platteville, according to The Denver Post.

Chris Hathaway, the director of turf and ground at Empower Field, wrote on social media that his team used 1.5-inch, thick-cut sod in rolls that are four feet by 60 feet. The rolls are pushed together and slightly compressed, he said.

The project cost about $250,000, according to the Post.

Hathaway shared a before-and-after look at the field on Oct. 29, two days after the Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers.

It’s the third year in a row the team has replaced the Empower Field sod midseason, with a focus on player safety. Broncos head coach Sean Payton was asked about the new playing surface during a news conference Wednesday.

“Our field has been in good shape,” he said. “I don’t know what’s taken place since the last [game]. The one thing I do know is if [CEO and owner Greg Penner] feels like it’s not to his liking, then he’s not afraid to do it. I literally just found out and [it’s] outstanding.”

About half of NFL stadiums use natural grass – the surface NFL players have long advocated for amid injury concerns on artificial turf.

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