Officials Depot Blog : Top 10 NFL Stadiums

Top 10 NFL Stadiums

There are significant advantages to playing at home in the NFL. Different playing surfaces, retractable roofs, the elements, and more can affect the outcome of a game. So can fans. Here are the Top 10 stadiums in the National Football League.

10. State Farm Stadium
The Cardinals haven’t had much to cheer about recently, but State Farm Stadium looks like a Goodyear Blimp went through a popcorn machine. The look gives the Cardinals home a futuristic appeal and regardless of performance, the 63,400 seats are full every game.

9. Gillette Stadium
The New England Patriots have been the most successful franchise of the last decade-plus and it has a stadium to show it. Fans sit in team-colored seats. The stadium is illuminated by LED lighting and the two gigantic HDTV video screens in each end zone make sure no one misses any of the action. The Patriots win in all aspects of the game, including their home stadium.

8. Lucas Oil Stadium
The home of the Indianapolis Colts is a serious architectural wonder with seven levels of seating, a retractable roof, and a retractable glass wall that opens to an amazing view of the Indianapolis skyline.

7. U.S. Bank Stadium
It’s one of the NFL’s newest stadiums, opened in 2016. The Vikings home is the standard by which all modern stadiums will be built. It features all the amenities as well as a Minnesota team that has made the playoffs in three of the past five seasons.

6. Arrowhead Stadium
One of the best home-field advantages in all of football is at Arrowhead, the home of the Kansas City Chiefs. Boiling hot in the late summer/early fall and ice-cold as an NFL season nears its end, Arrowhead is a giant sea of Red-clad fans that are passionate about their Chiefs. It’s one of the reasons the team has played in the last two AFC title games.

5. AT&T Stadium
Built at a cost of over $1 billion, the Cowboys home was the vision of team owner Jerry Jones. The stadium seats 80,000 but has standing room to accommodate 100,000-plus. A Dallas playoff game in 2009 set an NFL attendance record with 105,121 fans. One of the world’s largest HD video screens hangs from one 20-yard line to the other 20-yard line.

4. Heinz Field
Located next to where the old Three Rivers Stadium sat, Heinz Field is one of the toughest places to play in the NFL. The south end is open and fans can see the Ohio River in the background as they look at the giant scoreboard located there. The “Great Hall,” a tribute to the Steelers’ greats, is the best concourse in the league.

3. CenturyLink Field
Visiting teams are in for a treat when visiting Seattle at CenturyLink Field. It is the loudest stadium in the league. Visiting teams face the 12th Man – the fans – and have a hard time hearing anything. Fans are also treated to a spectacular skyline view of the city and the structure’s roof provides protection against the elements, which come often in Seattle.

2. Soldier Field
It is now the oldest stadium in the NFL. Soldier Field was built in 1924, but the Bears didn’t move in until 1971. The stadium was rebuilt in 2002 and the Bears home now brings together the flair of a modern stadium with the old colonnades and statues that remind everyone of Soldier Field. The Bears’ home now oozes nostalgia with a touch of future.

1. Lambeau Field
The Frozen Tundra of Lambeau Field…it has been home to numerous NFL and Super Bowl championships. It is one of the oldest stadiums in the league and Green Bay has been extremely successful on their home turf. There is nothing like a late December game at Lambeau with snow flying and temperatures near zero. Ahh, it’s the best!