Every time the Detroit Lions play at the Chicago Bears' Solider Field, the comments section of a game thread is good for a complaint or two about the awful playing surface. Every year Soldier Field starts off pretty bad (there are always divots that pop up over the course of a game) and just regresses to one of the NFL's worst fields by the time winter rolls around. It is an absolute mess come December, when the weather conditions are snow, wind and cold more often than not. The combination of an already bad field and bad weather makes for some really poor footing for players.
Considering how bad the grass surface at Soldier Field is, it's no surprise that it was named the worst grass field in all of the NFL by an NFLPA survey. In a ranking of the best grass fields it comes in at No. 17 out of 18 (the Oakland Coliseum was last), but when explicitly asked for the worst grass surface, Soldier Field was named more than any other venue.
For the artificial playing field category, the Metrodome, the home of the Minnesota Vikings, received the most votes as the worst surface. The Bills' field came in last in the rankings of the best artificial surfaces, but like Soldier Field, the Metrodome received the most votes when players were explicitly asked about the worst field.
The artificial turf at Ford Field ranked eight out of 13 in the survey, coming in just ahead of the Ravens' M&T Bank Stadium and right behind the Patriots' Gillette Stadium. The field at the Colts' Lucas Oil Stadium ranks first for artificial surfaces, and for grass the Cardinals' sliding field at University of Phoenix Stadium is No. 1.