Good morning! Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving and that you have plenty of tasty leftovers to enjoy.
Now then: Each of yesterday’s three NFL games featured one retro-attired team. Let’s start with the early-afternoon game in Detroit, where the Lions, as you can see above, wore their throwbacks. Lots of additional photos here, here, and here.
In the late-afternoon game, the Cowboys wore their blue throwbacks (additional photos here, here, and here):
It’s also worth noting that the Cowboys’ throwback jerseys appear to be using a fourth version of Nike’s new template. Here are the three previous versions we had already seen this season, followed by the Dallas throwback version:
The final game of the day featured the throwback-clad 49ers against the neon-clad Seahawks (additional photos here, here, and here):
In that same game, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey had to swap out his helmet during the game, which required some interesting sideline adjustments:
Looks like they’re building Frankenstein while working on CMC’s helmet 😂pic.twitter.com/g1sd9qSfVc
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) November 24, 2023
Interestingly, McCaffrey’s new helmet had the 49ers’ standard “SF” logo, instead of the throwback logo that his original helmet had:
As you can see in many of those previous photos, all teams wore the league’s new John Madden Thanksgiving patch. Here’s a closer view of how it looked on all six teams’ jerseys yesterday:
In addition, the pregame coin toss for each of yesterday’s games was conducted with a Madden/turducken coin:
Madden messaging was also added to the end lines and sidelines:
(My thanks to James Catton, reader/commenter Uniform_Annals, and Phil for their contributions to this report.)
The McCaffrey pit-crew helmet swap is also notable since it looks like they replaced his throwback helmet with a standard (non-throwback) 49ers helmet, easily differentiated by the logo decals and rubber bumper above the facemask. Also, it looks like it was only temporary as by the time the 49ers had the ball again, McCaffrey was again sporting a throwback-themed helmet (perhaps the 49ers equipment guys were able to switch the logo decals and rubber bumper mid-game???) An interesting uni blip from a hard-running player on Paul’s favourite team, and one that probably doesn’t even register as such if only the 49ers switch permanently back to their dynasty-era throwback oval “SF” logos!
Great point. Adding that to the post now.
As an aside anecdote, in their 2019 season-finale matchup with the Seahawks, the whole Niners team wore their standard “SF” logo helmets paired with their *1994 all-white throwback uniforms. It was, originally I believe an afternoon game that got flexed into primetime, and along with this (or perhaps because of it) the Niners were able to squeeze in another last minute change as they seemed to have got permission from the league to wear their throwback all-whites (hence the jerseys and pants were packed for the trip, but apparently the equipment guys didn’t have time to swap out all the helmet logos in time to the throwback 80’s design). Again, I vote for the Niners to simply permanently switch back to their simpler, Montana-Young era oval logos. It looks brighter and cleaner and is so classic.
* 2023 I believe is the fifth straight year the 49ers have worn their all white throwback unis whilst visiting Seattle, so superstition, or a new “tradition”?
Reading up McCaffrey’s explanation of the incident, and re-watching a replay of the game, it appears the helmet replacement occurred just before halftime, so that was probably enough time for the Niners equipment guys to repair the damaged throwback helmet for the second half.
That giant baseball player balloon is also the same one featured in the original ‘Miracle on 34th Street’ I believe.
I still would like to see the Seattle’s neon pants paired with the navy jersey. Or maybe even the white jersey.
Seattle is a flat-out embarrassment.
They sure looked better than SF though.
Only delusional Seattle fans tell themselves this, thinking if they say it enough it’s fact. The rest of the world and social media overwhelmingly prefer any 49er uniform over Seattle’s 2012 puke green and navy clownsuits (which are both an assault on eyesight and humanity). Must be all that rain up in the PNW getting to the brain, where anything blindingly neon is a respite from the grey dreariness that is existence in Seattle.
Well I don’t root for Seattle. I just hate that a team like SF that looks so good in their normal set feels the need to throwback to the only period in their history when they looked bad. As far as Seattle, I don’t mind the neon, but I wish they’d go with blue pants or at least blue socks. Other than that, they looked fine. Not what I’d choose for my team, but better than the messy 90s SF look.
I’m neither a delusional Seahawks fan nor am I a Santa Clara fan. But I agree that Seattle looked way better than the 49ers.
Teams with gold or silver helmets should never go white-over-white below the neck. I know, almost every rule has an exception, but I can’t think of one here.
Um…
link
And that’s not the only one but we’ll throw that out there.
The Lions’ throwbacks have never done it for me. They’re just a lot of nothing. No stripes, no outlines, nothing. With the NOBs and plain helmets, they’re not even a good representation of their original era.
If you’re going to go that old with a throwback, at least have it be an interesting one. The Packers’ ones with the number in the circle or the shoulder yoke, the Steelers’ or Bears’ ’94 throwbacks with all the stripes, heck, even the Eagles’ blue and yellow one, which I actually liked more than most other people.
Personally, I think we’re far enough removed from the Sanders era that it’s time for those to be a throwback. For most of us, that’s the best era of Lions football we’ve seen in our lives, anyhow.
Yep… seems these days they want to go with the less “ugly” throwbacks…
link
But then make them wear “alternates” that are much worse…
link
Aiyuk and Jennings were only niners wearing red socks with their white throwbacks which looked really nice.
Exactly. I just don’t understand why they can’t all just wear the red socks. If you’re gonna do throwback, then do it right. When Deion wore that uniform he wore it with red socks. The white tights look so terrible to me.
And I also hate this Cowboys uniform. The white helmet just doesn’t look good to me. The only redeeming quality was the blue socks with stripes. It’s a miracle Dak wasn’t wearing those stupid tights he usually wears.
Is it just me or did the red color on the 49ers unis seem brighter than their normal uniforms? Especially the helmet stripes?
In my opinion other than the Packers, a terrible uniform day. SF wasn’t real bad but are a five compared to their normal uniform being a ten. Never cared for the Cowboy throwbacks and the white helmet and pants make the worse. Aesthetically, Detroit’s throw back would only be decent on a grass field. No comment needed on Seattle!
Being originally from Baltimore, I have eaten many Esskay products, Including hot dogs at Orioles games. It took me a long time to figure out that Esskay is actually phonetic for the first letters of the company’s two founders, William Schluderberg and T. J. Kurdle, thus SK.
You beat me to it, Bob Sullivan! As a native Baltimorean I was all ready to unleash the entire Esskay history here!
That sausage has spices AND flavorings? Mmmmm
I don’t know if it’s because of my soccer background or what, but I really don’t like seeing a colour/white vs. white/white matchup. Excluding helmets, that means 3 out of the 4 uniform elements between the two teams are the same colour.
Why couldn’t Washington wear burgundy pants?
Teams wearing a non-contrasting color, like the Cmdrs did yesterday, or wearing alternates against a team that is primarily that color, like any number of teams do every season, is one of my biggest uniform peeves, but it happens so often when it is so easily avoidable that it has to be intentional. I guess too many teams just don’t Get It™.
Agreed, to both comments
From a distance, the Madden patch made all the teams look like they had gravy stains on their shoulders.
That seems appropriate!
Lions/Packers: Detroit always looks great in these…should be the basis for a future redesign. Wish the Pack had used a throwback mask to yo the throwback ante.
Cowboys/Commanders: Dallas got it right out of the gate and really should have never strayed from these. The Commies botched the roadies – white-over-white was a terrible choice yesterday.
49ers/Seahawks: SF throws have run their course for me, and Seattle needs to mix the all-neon.
Didn’t watch a snap of pro football yesterday – caught every down of my alma mater’s Turkey Bowl though…a daylight beauty in NE Philly with Columbia Blue and Sheridan Red prevailing over Black and Athletic Gold.
From a distance, the Madden patch looked like the old logo on Washington.
I’m sure this has been discussed, but the Madden patches would have looked so much better in each team’s colors.
I’m neither a Cowboys fan nor even much of a football fan these days, but I think Dallas’s Thanksgiving-wear is my favorite alternate uniform in all of big 4 major American sports.
I really like it too, and I’m a 49er fan, would love to see a red v. blue game in the throwbacks between them.
I really have to go out on a limb and say I really dig the neon green. Maybe its just because I grew up in the punk era and my mohawk was frequently that color, but at least its something… different.
I would like to see Dallas wear the throwbacks more. IF ONLY because the players seem more willing to wear the right uniform socks with them.
That baseball player balloon perfectly encapsulates the dark age of Thanksgiving Parades when the same brown, grim balloons were schlepped out every year (Dino the Dinosaur, Bullwinkle, Mighty Mouse, Koko the Clown) covered with repair patches. Obviously designed by the guy who thought circus clowns weren’t creepy.
The ’46 float looks like Super Jock
Yes!