Which NFL stadium is the scariest for away teams to play at?

Some NFL stadiums have a reputation as being tough for away teams to come and play at, from passionate home crowds to challenging weather conditions. But which stadiums have statistically been toughest on away teams over the last five regular seasons?

The team at CasinoGuru has put together an NFL Stadium Scare Index which measures how visiting teams performed at every NFL home venue from 2021 through 2025, analyzing 1,333 games.

Five factors were given equal weighting to create the final Scare Index: how often visiting teams lost, how many points they scored, how many turnovers they committed, how many sacks they allowed, and how many offensive penalties they received.

Stadiums where visiting teams struggled most across these areas ranked as the scariest places to play in the NFL.

Key Highlights:

• Denver's Empower Field at Mile High is the NFL's scariest stadium, topping the Scare Index with 70.4/100.
• Pittsburgh misses out on the top spot by just 0.2 points, with Acrisure Stadium scoring 70.2/100.
• Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium ranks 3rd (65.5/100), ahead of traditionally intimidating venues such as Highmark, Lambeau and Arrowhead.
• Bills former stadium Highmark was the hardest place in the NFL to actually win: Visiting teams lost 82.9% of games between 2021 and 2025.
• Arrowhead is the hardest place for visiting teams to score, with opponents averaging an NFL low of 17.5 points per game.
• Steelers stadium creates the most mistakes: Visitors averaged an NFL high of 1.69 turnovers and 1.55 false starts per game.
• Denver puts visiting QBs under more pressure than anywhere else, with opponents suffering 3.0 sacks per game,
• Finally, Arizona's State Farm Stadium is the NFL's least scary, scoring just 27.8/100. Visiting teams won roughly 68% of games and scored an average of 25.9 points per game.

The NFL’s Scariest Stadiums

The Denver Broncos Empower Field at Mile High is officially the NFL's scariest stadium, topping the Scare Index with 70.4/100. There are several individual stats that have led to this result. First off, visiting QBs are sacked more often than anywhere else in the NFL, with away teams allowing an average of 3.0 sacks per game. Away teams also tend to commit more offensive penalties at the Empower Field, averaging 4.02 per game, the highest figure across the NFL. Finally, opponents score the 2nd lowest in Denver, averaging just 17.8 points per game, behind only Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium (17.5).

Just behind Denver’s stadium is the Steelers Acrisure Stadium, with a score of 70.2/100, just 0.2 index points less than the Broncos. Over the past five seasons, away offenses have committed the most false starts at the Acrisure Stadium averaging 1.55 per game, and away teams also commit more turnovers in Pittsburgh than anywhere else in the NFL (1.69 per game). Finally, visiting teams lost 60.7% of their games in Pittsburgh over the past 5 seasons.

Rounding out the top three scariest stadiums is the Hard Rock Stadium (65.5/100), home to the Miami Dolphins. Miami ranks ahead of several of the NFL's most famous intimidating venues, including Buffalo's Former Highmark Stadium (#4), Green Bay's Lambeau Field (#6), and Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium (#9). Away teams lost 66.7% of their games at Hard Rock Stadium between 2021 and 2025 and recorded an average of 1.5 false starts per game, joint 2nd highest in the NFL

The Buffalo Bills moved into a new stadium this season however they were kept within the study, and the former Highmark Stadium (65.3/100) was the 4th scariest stadium for away teams over the past five seasons. Buffalo was the hardest place in the NFL for visiting teams to win, with away teams losing a huge 82.9% of games between 2021 and 2025. Could it have been a mistake for the Bills to leave?

The 5th scariest stadium in the NFL is the Huntington Bank Field with a Scare Index Score of 60.3/100. Opposing QBs were sacked an average of 2.93 times per game, one of the highest rates in the NFL, behind Denver (3.0) and Pittsburgh (2.98). Visiting offenses committed an average of 3.95 offensive penalties per game in Cleveland, again one of the highest figures in the league.

The NFL’s Least Scary Stadiums

Ranking as the NFL’s least scary stadium is State Farm Stadium (27.8/100), home to the Arizona Cardinals. This likely comes as little surprise to NFL fans as the Cardinals have had a rough time over the last five seasons, with just one playoff appearance and four consecutive losing seasons. Opposing offenses scored more points in Arizona than at any other NFL stadium, averaging 25.9 points per game and visiting QBs were sacked just 1.8 times per game, the lowest rate in the NFL.

The 2nd least scary stadium is The Commanders Northwest Stadium, with a Scare Index score of 34.1/100. Visiting teams averaged 25.0 points per game at Washington's home stadium, the 2nd highest figure in the NFL, behind only Arizona (25.9). Washington also ranks as the least-intimidating home venue in the NFC East, finishing below the Dallas Cowboys (#7), Philadelphia Eagles (#18) and New York Giants (#23).

The Atlanta Falcons Mercedes-Benz Stadium might be famous for its Fan-First Pricing but for away teams it’s a far from scary place to play, ranking 3rd last in the study with a Scare Index Score of 37.4/100. Visiting teams won 51.2% of games at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, winning 21 of their 41 visits between 2021 and 2025. Opposing offenses averaged 23.5 points per game in Atlanta, making it a relatively high-scoring destination for visiting teams.

Methodology

The study analyzed 1,333 NFL regular-season home games between 2021 and 2025 to identify the toughest stadiums for visiting teams. Neutral-site games were excluded, with approximately 40 home games analyzed per team.

Five factors were given equal weighting to calculate each stadium's Scare Index:

• Visiting team loss rate: How often away teams lost.
• Points scored: Average points scored by visiting teams.
• Turnovers committed: Average interceptions thrown and fumbles lost by visiting teams.
• Sacks allowed: Average number of times visiting quarterbacks were sacked.
• Offensive penalties: Average accepted offensive penalties committed by visiting teams.

Each factor was standardized to allow a fair comparison across all 32 teams. Stadiums where visiting teams lost more frequently, scored fewer points and committed more turnovers, sacks and penalties received higher Scare Index scores.

False starts were included within offensive penalties rather than counted as a separate factor.

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