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 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, covering DK Metcalf, as a rookie in 2019. He said the atmosphere contributed to his jitters in a 40-34 loss in overtime.
“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.”
“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.”
Darius Slayton
San Francisco 49ers All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner said the fans in Minnesota had a profound effect on him.
“They made me think differently about how I approach just being on the sideline, just staying focused on the game and not worrying about everything else,” said Warner, who is 0-3 at U.S Bank.
One AFC South player who wished to remain anonymous remembered what it felt like when the Vikings jumped out to a quick lead.
“I heard that ‘Skol’ chant early and often,” he said. “Kind of scarred from that. But it’s a cool place.”
Tier 2: Hostile environments
Philadelphia (18.5)
Buffalo (18)
New Orleans (16.5)
Carolina Panthers defensive end Jadeveon Clowney said Philadelphia Eagles fans do the most jawing. They send direct messages on social media, and they don’t forget, as evidenced by the reaction to his hit on former Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz in 2020.
“I got the heat from that for like a year,” Clowney said. “They were like, ‘You messed our quarterback up,’ and he wasn’t even on their team [anymore].”
Kansas City All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones helped knock Buffalo out of the playoffs in two of the past three seasons, including last year’s divisional game at Highmark Stadium. Jones is familiar with the “Bills Mafia,” and he respects the passion.
“I completely enjoy playing in Buffalo,” he said. “Their fan base, very similar to ours. Very in tune, very passionate about their team.
“I know when we go up there, it’s not only the Bills we’re playing but their fans also. It makes that game more interesting and exciting knowing we’re going into that atmosphere that’s similar to our own crowd.”
The New Orleans Saints haven’t been to the playoffs since 2020, but the Superdome does not lack atmosphere.
“It’s just straight-up noise,” Moore said. “They don’t shut up. It’s like a party there.”
Tier 3: Altitude, noise and ‘Renegade’
Denver (12.5)
Green Bay (11.5)
Pittsburgh (10)
Detroit (9.5)
Baltimore (8)
Cleveland (8)
The Saints’ 6-foot, 324-pound defensive tackle Khalen Saunders picked Denver as the toughest place to play, but not necessarily because of the fans or the Broncos.
Saunders played for the Chiefs from 2019-22, which meant yearly trips to Denver.
“It’s horrible,” he said. “I’ve got asthma, and I’m overweight, it’s not a mix to be in high altitude.
“I made it, but I had to get oxygen and inhalers for sure. But it’s not a fun time playing in Denver, especially not when it’s cold, because the air is even thinner.”
New York Jets tight end Tyler Conklin also brought up the altitude.
“It’s horrible. I’ve got asthma, and I’m overweight, it’s not a mix to be in high altitude.”
Khalen Saunders
“The blood-oxygen level, that’s real,” he said. “That’s science. You’re going to get tired quicker.”
Three AFC North opponents cracked this tier, including Pittsburgh, which fires up the crowd with “Renegade” by Styx in the third quarter.
Green Bay’s combination of weather and field conditions was noted.
Detroit’s Ford Field used to be a less formidable place, but now that the Lions are one of the best teams in the NFL, that era is over.
“My first few years in Chicago, Detroit was quiet as s—,” Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Darnell Mooney said. “But last year we went out there, and the first drive, I said, ‘Yo, I’ve never heard that.’
“I couldn’t even hear our quarterback talking. It was loud. I was like, ‘Damn, this is lit. But I can’t hear s— right now.'”
Tier 4: The friendliest division in football
There are tough places to play football, and then there is the AFC South. None of the players chose the stadiums in Tennessee, Jacksonville, Houston or Indianapolis.
Since 2021, visiting teams have a .563 winning percentage against AFC South teams, the highest for any division, according to ESPN Research. To contrast that, the AFC North has been the hardest division to play at with a .387 winning percentage for visiting opponents.
For Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne Jr., the reason is simple: Loud fans come to watch good football teams. Over the past four seasons, the AFC South has a combined record of 108-158-2 (.407).
“I feel like the fans in the NFL, they support winners,” Etienne said. You know, you’ve got to win for your fans to come out, and we’ve got to do a much better job at home.
All 32 NFL Nation reporters contributed to this story.
