It’s hard to believe, but we’ve reached the final weekend of the NFL’s regular season, and there will definitely be some good looking games this week. There will be relatively few clunkers too, so it’s a fine weekend for football uni watching.
The Broncos and Titans are both wearing gorgeous throwback uniforms, while the Lions are running back their blue helmet/black jersey look (and I’ll be waiting with bated breath for their pants announcement). We’ve also got the most condensed week of the season, with no Thursday or Monday Night Football games. We’ll see a pair of AFC North battles tomorrow, while Sunday will feature the entire rest of the league, culminating in a SNF game for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. In short, not just a great uni-matchup weekend, but a fine way to close out the regular season as well.
Who’ll challenge for the Top 5 and who’ll need to go back to the uni-drawing board? Let’s look at the contenders below.
This post will be updated as teams who have not announced full combos do so.
Saturday Games:
The Browns still haven’t unveiled their pants preference for this game, although they wore their orange pants at home against the Ravens earlier this season, and may do so again, as the Ravens will be in black/purple/white/black. The game should be good looking regardless, but would be approaching a color palette special if the Browns pick their orange trou.
UPDATE: The Browns will wear orange pants with white striped socks.
It’ll be a fantastic matchup in Pittsburgh as the Bengals need a win (and some luck) to reach the playoffs. Since introducing the orange pants this year, this will be the fifth game in which they will have worn them. Pittsburgh, of course, will be in their classic black and gold.
Sunday Early Games:
The Bills are going with their icy white look for this game (boo!), while the Patriots will once again pair their silver-gray pants with their blue jerseys (a very nice look). The Pats, after debuting the silver-gray pants in 2022, and wearing them very sparingly that season and 2023, have at long last come to realization that this is their best look. It’ll be ninth time this season for the Pats in gray slacks, including the last seven straight (excluding one week they wore their throwbacks). Hopefully this will be their permanent home look for 2025 and beyond.
The Panthers don’t unveil their pants/socks until closer to game time, but we do know the Falcons will be dressed in mono-black. The Falcons must beat the Panthers and have Tampa Bay lose to secure the NFC South crown, so this is a big game for them. I’m not sure if mono-black is their “big game” uni, but it’s what they’re going with. The Panthers have, thus far, worn 12 different uni combos, so if they break out a new one, they’ll tie the Jaguars “record” of having 13 different uni combos in a single season. Last year, the Panthers wore 11 different looks, so they’ve already bested that by one.
UPDATE: The Panthers will wear silver-gray pants and white socks. This is a look the team never worn before (though they did once wear white jerseys/silver-gray pants in 1998, however that was with blue socks).
The two longtime NFC North rivals will meet again, and the uni matchup will be as classic as ever. This game will be an almost automatic T-5. FOOTBALL!
The bad blood between these two teams is reflected in the Titans decision to wear their Oilers throwbacks against the team from the city they left. And this is their second year wearing the throwbacks against the Texans (out of three total wearings). But even with that backdrop, most folks are excited to see the beautiful Columbia blue on the field — and with the Texans wearing one of their better uni combos, this game definitely has a shot a a T-5 finish.
The Jaguars are another team that has worn more than ten different uni combos this year, and don’t reveal their lower half uni stylings until closer to the game. And like the Panthers, the Jags have worn 12 different combos this season. If they debut a new look, they’ll tie their own previous mark of having 13 different uni combos for a season.
UPDATE: The Jags will wear black pants and white socks.
Of all the teams to “stray” from their primary looks this season, the Saints (and Lions) probably top the list. After wearing their gold pants for all three pre-season games, they’ve worn them a grand total of ONCE this season. I fully expect they’ll wear white pants and socks when they finally declare that portion of their outfits before the game. The Bucs, on the other hand, didn’t break out their red/pewter combo until Week 14, and Sunday’s game will mark the fourth time in the last five games they’ll wear it. Yes, the Bucs tend to wear white at home a lot during the warmer months, but it just seems weird how their home uni looks are almost entirely split up between September>November and December/January.
UPDATE: The Saints will wear black pants and socks. They have not worn that combination this season.
In a surprising move, the Eagles declared they will go mono-black against the Giants for the final week of the season, seemingly violating the number of “alternates” a team can wear. Perhaps it’s not a surprise for the Eagles to don the all black against the G-men, since they’ve gone all black vs. their NFC East rivals every single season, with the sole exception of the 2017 season, going all the way back to 2014. It’s pretty much their default home look against New York now.
Like several other teams, the Commanders haven’t revealed their pants or socks, but the Cowboys will be breaking out their (relatively rare) blue jerseys at home. While I absolutely love the Cowboys in blue jerseys over their silver pants, I don’t like it when they pair them with the white pants, as they are doing Sunday. I know many consider the silver/blue/silver their “bad luck blues” look, but it’s really a very underrated good uniform combo. Hopefully the Commanders won’t wear same color pants and socks…
UPDATE: The Commanders will wear burgundy pants and socks.
Sunday Late Afternoon Games:
With the Broncos wearing their gorgeous 1977 inspired throwbacks, and playing the Chiefs (who have yet to declare whether they’ll wear red or white pants), this is almost assuredly a Top 5 lock, and probably the clubhouse leader for the #1. I’m expecting the Chiefs to sport their red britches (especially since Denver will be in white pants), but I’d be even more thrilled to see KC in white over white (their best road look). Either way though, this will be a feast for the eyes.
This game will be another classic — definitely a T-5 — but it could definitely challenge for the #1 spot overall depending on the Chargers choice of pants. Perhaps surprisingly, the Chargers have only once gone white over gold against the Raiders since getting this new uniform set, but have opted for the all-white look on the road thrice vs. the silver and black. Gold pants would be the better choice, but either way the game will still look fantastic.
UPDATE: The Chargers will wear white pants and blue socks.
In what is almost assuredly Aaron Rodgers final game as a Jet (and possibly his final game ever), the Dolphins will wear their all white combo, with the Jets still yet to declare their pants/hose. I am hopeful the Jets will pair their green hats and shirts with white pants and green socks, which is easily their best look. The Jets won’t be playing for anything but pride, but the Dolphins still have an outside chance to get the AFC No. 7 seed, but they’ll need a LOT to break right.
The Seahawks will wear their white/white combo with navy socks, a very good road look for them. This game might have even challenged for a T-5 spot, had the Rams decided to wear their sol (yellow) pants, but alas, with their decision to go mono-royal, this won’t even sniff the top five. It would have been an uphill climb to reach the upper eschelon of uni matchups regardless, but the all royal everything will ensure this one won’t be in the MMUW five and one.
The final game of the late afternoon certainly won’t be in consideration for the best looking, as Arizona will wear their bloodclots for the season finale. Interestingly, this will be the first time the Cardinals will wear their all-red vs. San Francisco (last season they wore mono-white at home vs. SF). Too bad they couldn’t see fit to do so again this year.
Sunday Night Football:
This is a huge game for numerous reasons, not the least of which is the winner of this game will not only win the NFC North, but will also receive the No. 1 seed (and a bye) in the playoffs. Then there’s Detroit’s decision to wear their alternate blue helmet/black jersey. We’ve already discussed how superstitious the Lions are when it comes to uniform selection. Thus far, the team has not repeated a uni combo in which they’ve lost (their two losses came in their blue jersey/silver-gray pants, and their blue helmets over mono-black). This leads me to believe they will break out the blue/black/blue/black combo which was teased when the team unveiled their new uniforms. And the decision might move this from a guaranteed “And One” (if they wear black pants/socks) to a safe, but not T-5, position. I’ve been dying to see the blue/black/blue/black combo all season long. Let’s hope the Lions agree.
During a recent episode of PFT Live, I said I was considering switching allegiances from the Vikings to the Eagles, if only
Free agency beckons this week, so here’s the way it looks before the stampede for the Brinks trucks begins. One trade at the top of Serby M
We shall mock draft until we can mock draft no more! Hold on, let’s tweak that: We shall mock draft until the final pick of the NFL Draft is made!Wait, one mo