The Buffalo Bills have a trick up their sleeves to gain even more of a competitive advantage at their new Highmark Stadium that is set to open for the 2026 season.
The outside of the new stadium will reportedly be lined with vertical and perforated steel panels that will help keep players and fans warmer than the sometimes-frigid temperatures in Western New York.
Those panels will also will slow down the win as it flows over the stadium or get stopped altogether.
The new stadium is not a dome, but those panels will create an ‘air bubble’ for Bills’ home venue, per Tyler Webb.
That is not the only hidden advantage the Bills plan to unleash as they will install the same natural grass surface at Green Bay’s Lambeau Field to deal with colder weather.
The grass has wirelessly controlled heating, irrigation and SubAir systems that should also help the playing surface not be at freezing temperatures at any time.
Buffalo has the second-lowest average temperature for games in the NFL, only behind the Packers.
Several efforts over the years of shoveling tons of snow out of Highmark Stadium for important games have taken place, with one as recently as last year’s Divisional showdown against the Chiefs.
The Bills’ current stadium in the Buffalo suburb of Orchard Park opened in 1973 and is the fourth oldest venue in the NFL behind Chicago’s Soldier Field (1924), Green Bay’s Lambeau Field (1957), and Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium (1972).
Since opening 51 years ago, the current stadium – which has been named Rich Stadium, Ralph Wilson Stadium, and New Era Field in the past – has undergone two major renovations in 1998 and in 2013.
Of note, the new stadium’s capacity is set to be 62,000 – much smaller than the current venue’s capacity of 71,000.
The stadium is being constructed by architecture firm Populous – which has built multiple NFL stadiums in the past including Gillette Stadium, M&T Bank Stadium, and NRG Stadium. They’ve also designed multiple soccer venues like the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Emirates Stadium, and the new Wembley Stadium.
The Bills will continue to play at their current stadium on Sunday when they host one of this year’s Divisional playoff games against the Baltimore Ravens.
