111 NFL players rank the toughest places to play (and leave out one division entirely)
It shouldn't be a surprise which stadium was ranked as the toughest, but the voting did raise some eyebrows.
When players exit the cramped visiting locker room inside Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium, make their way down a narrow hallway and prepare to enter the field to face the Chiefs, they are greeted with a stern reminder of what they are about to face.
It's more of a warning, really. The message is plastered on the wall that faces the hallway's exit: "Welcome to Arrowhead -- The Loudest Stadium in the World -- 142.2 DB."
The last part is a reference to Guinness measuring the decibel level in 2014 and declaring it a world record. The noise is produced by a fan base that has been tailgating for hours, regardless of how extreme the temperature. There's the thudding drumbeat that accompanies the controversial "war chant." And the roar that inspires and celebrates the Chiefs' highlights, which have been numerous since drafting quarterback Patrick Mahomes in 2017.
"I just think the aura, and the fans are nuts," Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day said. "They're so loud, you can't even hear yourself think at times.
"And obviously Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are a great duo. They feed off that energy, and their defense feeds off it, too, Chris Jones and them. The atmosphere is crazy."
Joseph-Day isn't alone in those sentiments. ESPN asked 111 players to rank the toughest place to play in the NFL, and Arrowhead came in first place. The unique design of Seattle's Lumen Field, the "Skol" chant in Minnesota's U.S. Bank Stadium, and the rowdy fans at Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field and Buffalo's Highmark Stadium also earned votes. Some described the charged atmospheres as fun, others talked about being on guard with raucous fans, while others lamented the inability to communicate, but the common denominator is the toughest places usually housed the toughest opponents.
Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore picked Detroit's Ford Field among the toughest because of an incident he had with a fan. He wasn't the only one to have an unexpected fan interaction in Detroit. Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur had his own pregame incident earlier this season, and the Lions revoked the fan's season tickets.
"We had a heckler," Moore said. "He just wouldn't shut up. He was behind the bench, and he was going crazy the whole time, no matter what.
"When we were up, he was still going crazy. I'm just like, 'There's something wrong with you.' I told him I was going to score on that drive, and I actually did. And I said I'm going to give him the ball. I wrote 'shut up' on it. I shouldn't have, but it was fun in the moment."
Players submitted their picks, some anonymously, and the tabulations were conducted with a ranked voting system: 2 points for a first-place vote, 1 for second place and .05 for third. Here are the stadiums across the league that players thought were the toughest to visit, as well as a division that might be called the friendliest in the NFL.
Tier 1: The top 3 can leave you 'scarred'
Kansas City (57 points)Seattle (41.5)
Minnesota (28.5)
It was a snowy, mid-December game in 2019, and Denver Broncos rookie tight end Noah Fant figured the elements would make an impact on the crowd at Arrowhead.
"You figured it's a blizzard, won't be as many fans there," said Fant, currently with the Seattle Seahawks. "And it was still super loud, and they were going crazy."
Not only are they loud, but several players said Chiefs fans are knowledgeable about the game and how to make things difficult on the opponent. It might be because of the multiple playoff runs they've witnessed. The Chiefs haven't missed the playoffs since drafting Mahomes, and they're trying to become the first team in NFL history to win three Super Bowls in a row. After a first-round bye, they'll be hosting a divisional-round game
The Seahawks were eliminated from playoff contention Sunday, and they're not as successful as they were during their "Legion of Boom" days a decade ago, but Lumen Field remains a tough location. The crowd is called the "12," because it serves as a 12th man, but Washington Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu said it might as well be called the 13 or 14 considering the impact it makes.
"The way the stadium is shaped, the noise just comes right back down on top of you," 49ers tight end George Kittle said. "I also think they're louder against us because they hate us the most, which is awesome. I think that just adds to the environment."
Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean remembers being thrust into a starting role because of a teammate's injury at Seattle as a rookie in 2019, and he was covering DK Metcalf. He said the atmosphere contributed to his jitters in a 40-34 overtime loss.
"It makes your nerves bad," Dean said. "I finally understood the saying, 'Be prepared, as you never know when your time is going to come up.' And I was not prepared for that moment."
Minnesota's U.S. Bank Stadium is an indoor facility, but even without the weather, the atmosphere is uncomfortable for opponents.
"You feel it," New York Giants receiver Darius Slayton said. "As soon as you walk in there, everything is purple.
"You feel like you're out of place there. That is what a good atmosphere does. It makes you feel like you're in the wrong place. If you're in a different color, you feel like you don't belong in there."
